Awaken Me, Heart and Soul
by hms5375
Summary: What if Kagome never traveled through the well, and Inuyasha was still sealed to the tree when she was born? Her presence awakens his mind, but when she needs him he must find the will to awaken his body.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha characters.

Author's note: I tried to make sure all of the feudal characters ended up happy. This is still a work in progress, if anyone has any ideas please let me know.

"_Kikyo..."_

There was a somewhat familiar scent in the air, but it wasn't quite the same. In fact, nothing smelled the same. It was as if the smell of nature was overpowered by... He couldn't think of the best way to describe it. There was a metallic scent, but nothing else besides the faint smell of nature that still remained was recognizable. Some sort of pungent yet sweet smoke seemed to be coming from the direction of a quiet rumbling, but more like smoke of an oil lamp than that of a wood fire. The familiar yet different smell came to him again, stronger. The rumbling sound he had heard stopped, and the smoke smell drifted away. Then the almost familiar scent got stronger yet, and it did smell like Kikyo but not an adult.

"_A baby... that smells like Kikyo... WHAT?"_

Then there was a small whimper, a baby's whimper. There were voices, but he couldn't hear them clearly, as if they were muffled by both distance and walls. He could hear the tone of the voices, and there was a man's voice and a woman's voice. He was sure the woman's voice was not Kikyo, but then where was she? The baby whimpered again and then began to cry. The woman's voice came again, and he could barely make out the words.

"Don't worry, Kagome dear, we're home. I promise we will take care of you."

Then the man's voice came, and he couldn't make out every word, but what he did catch was "Your mother and I love you very much."

Then, both voices still muffled and mumbling, the voices and the scents started to fade into the distance.


	2. Chapter 2

That scent had came to Inuyasha often, in fact all the time. He was pinned to the tree, just where Kikyo had sealed him, but he was also completely covered in vines and couldn't move at all. He didn't even have room to move his ears. It was constant, that scent, but it was odd the way he felt the heat of the sun at different angles, or the chill of evening mere seconds apart. Also one second he could hear rain, the next the birds in the trees. The coldness of winter seemed to last only days, the heat of summer the same. And how could this child be awake all the time? All he could do was think about the situation, it was as if he was only a mind with no body at all. He could only vaguely feel the tree at his back and the vines that engulfed him. The child seemed to grow very quickly, it wasn't much after he had heard her first whimpers as an infant that he had heard her first words. There were times that the muffled voices of her family (there were three others besides the girl, her parents and an elderly man) were present and seemed to be in mid conversation when he smelled her only seconds after she walked away from him with no one else even close. She did smell a little like Kikyo, but he was certain she was not Kikyo. This child seemed much to kind and full of love to ever betray someone as Kikyo had betrayed him.

Inuyasha had always been one to act on instinct and then think about his actions later, but he was incapable of actions so all he could do at the present time was wonder what was happening. The feeling that he was missing a lot of moments, and the fact that the child seemed to always be there and growing at a rapid rate all led him to one theory. He wished he could know for sure if his theory was possible. He had all the time the child was near him to wonder why she seemed to never sleep, and why time seemed to be passing by so quickly. It seemed he only existed while she was around. It was only when Kagome was near enough to him that he was aware of the world. He couldn't help but wonder how long time had been passing him by, seemingly waiting for her to awaken him.

The child seemed to be very interested in his tree, and she asked often about the vines and why they were there. It was the elderly man who told her the legend of the hanyou pinned to the tree by a powerful priestess. The story she sat listening to while staring at the vines in awe was much more than Inuyasha remembered from the day he was sealed to the tree. He had remembered Kikyo wanting him to use the jewel to become human, so they could be together. She had to protect the jewel from any evil that would seek to use it, and therefore could not live a normal life. He had been an outcast with humans and youkai alike because of his mixed blood. She told him to meet her, and she would bring the jewel to him. He waited, but she never showed. He went to steal the jewel and use it as he originally intended: to become a full youkai. As he was leaving the village with the jewel she called his name, and he was sealed to the tree before he had a chance to act. One of the last things he had experienced was the scent of blood, Kikyo's blood. Then he was covered in vines, still pinned to the tree, and caught the scent of a baby that smelled like the woman who had betrayed him. The elderly man, who he had heard Kagome call Grandpa, went into a much more elaborate story.

"You see, child, it was over 500 years ago and the hanyou and the priestess were friends. Our shrine is located right here on the edge of the forest of Inuyasha close to where the original shrine was. The original was destroyed by fire a few centuries ago, and they built the new one here. The priestess was in charge of the sacred Shikon no Tama, or "Jewel of Four Souls". Many evil beings, human and youkai alike, would come looking for the jewel. If tainted by evil or malice, the jewel would make an evil being much stronger, almost invincible. The jewel was made when a priestess named Midoriko was losing a battle with youkai. Midoriko had the ability to purify souls, and therefore killing the evil youkai. She was overcome during one battle, and knew she had no hope. She had sealed her own soul, as well of the souls of the youkai, into the jewel and expelled it from her body. The souls of the priestess and the youkai were destined to fight inside the jewel for eternity. If someone pure of heart possesses the jewel, it would be purified and a dazzling pink. If someone with evil or malicious intentions possesses the jewel, it would grow dark and emit it's own evil. It was very powerful. Legend of the jewel states that only one who makes the right wish on the jewel can destroy it. An evil human, named Onigumo, was injured and treated by the priestess Kikyo in a cave not far from her village. He made a deal with youkai, telling them that if they gave him their power he would let them devour his body. He became an evil hanyou named Naraku, and had the ability to shapeshift. He took the form of Inuyasha, the hanyou friend of the priestess. Naraku mortally wounded Kikyo while in Inuyasha's form, hoping that she would kill the real Inuyasha then wish on the jewel to save her own life. That way, he could get the tainted jewel and try to get Kikyo for himself, he was quite fond of her."

"_Kikyo was killed by someone in my form? So she didn't mean to betray me?"_

"So Grandpa, how did she pin Inuyasha to the tree? What happened to the jewel?"

"She didn't have it in her heart to kill her friend, even though she thought he had hurt her. With the last of her strength she sealed him to the tree in a deep sleep with a sacred arrow. She was a master archer. Before her last breath, she gave the jewel to her younger sister, Kaede. She told Kaede, who was only around your age at the time, to burn the jewel with her body so she could take it with her to the next world. No one has seen the jewel since."

"So Grandpa, what happened to Naraku? I hope he got scolded very bad."

"It was fifty years after Kikyo's death that Naraku was defeated. A monk with a cursed void in his hand had come across a village of slayers, they killed youkai for a living, and he explained that it was Naraku that had placed the curse on his grandfather. He would eventually be killed by the growing void just as his grandfather and father before him, if he couldn't defeat Naraku and break the curse. The slayers and the monk had traveled to Kikyo's village to learn what they could of the jewel. The cave that Midoriko was in when she expelled her soul and created the jewel was in the slayer's village, and they had given the jewel to Kikyo who had the ability to purify it. After the slayers, the monk, and Kikyo's sister Kaede (who was now the village's priestess in her sister's place) had all talked about what they had known about the jewel and Naraku, they decided that Naraku must be stopped. They all banded together to stop him."

"So everything turned out OK except nobody ever let Inuyasha down from the tree, Grandpa, can you let him down?"

"Sorry, Kagome. Only the priestess who sealed him can undo the seal. It is very powerful."

"But Grandpa! Naraku killed her, she can't undo it! Someone has to help him!"

"Calm down child, is your homework done? Better get inside, its getting dark."

"_Only Kikyo can break the seal? Am I ever going to get down? I have been here for over 500 years?"_


	3. Chapter 3

Soon, there was another infant in the family. A boy named Souta. He did not have the same affect on Inuyasha's existence as his sister, it was still only Kagome's presence that allowed him awareness. Not long after the arrival of the boy, there was a time filled with a lot of salty tears. The few words that Inuyasha had been able to make out from the adults (at one point there were a lot of other people very close) it seemed there was a death in the family. That was the first night Kagome came to sit under the tree and talk to Inuyasha. She was very sad, Inuyasha could only assume how long but it seemed like many days. The death in the family had been her father. She didn't want to talk about it with the "rest of the family" because they were all sad as well. She didn't want to make it harder on them. From that time forward, she would come and talk to the clump of vines as if talking to a friend. She even called him by name, though she seemed to be the only one that believed the stories about him. She talked to him about everything that was bothering her, troubles she had at "school" (including someone named Hojo that kept giving her gifts and asking her to go places with him. Inuyasha felt some strange relief when Kagome admitted that while he was a great friend, she just didn't "see him as anything more". She would bring history books and read passages from them they had gone over in "school" that she thought he might find interesting. It turns out that Kaede, Kikyo's sister, wore an eyepatch. She had lost an eye before the death of Kikyo, when she was attacked by a youkai. It seemed there was a possibilty that she would have lost her life, but Inuyasha might have rescued her. The daughter of the head slayer, Sango (who was thought by some to be the best of the slayers), had fallen in love with the monk. The curse of the monk's hand was lifted with Naraku's defeat, and they were married and had three children. They had stayed in the village near the shrine, and it is their descendants that watch over the shrine to this day. There was also a kitsune who was very young and had lost his parents, he was taken in by Kaede. His name was Shippo. Sango's younger brother, Kohaku, had fallen in love with a girl who was raised by Inuyasha's older half brother after she had been attacked by wolves and left for dead. They met during the final battle with Naraku and a few years later had also gotten married. It seems that Inuyasha's older brother Sesshomaru, who was full demon, was approached by Naraku who wanted a strong ally. It seems that Naraku had counted on having the power of the jewel and without it tried to manipulate strong youkai into helping him, which continually backfired, not only with Sesshomaru but some wolf youkai named Kouga as well. It seemed that the biggest problem she had with the whole history was that Kikyo had wanted to change who Inuyasha was. "That was very selfish of Kikyo, she shouldn't try to make you into something you are not just to make _her_ life easier. She should have been happy with you just the way you are, would she have been happy with you as a human if you weren't strong enough to save her sister from the youkai?"

One time, Souta was asking Grandpa about the vines and the legend of Inuyasha as well. Grandpa told Souta the same legend, but when Souta started asking questions Grandpa replied that it was only a legend. Souta asked, "But why didn't you tell Kagome that it was only a legend, she is obsessed with Inuyasha!" Grandpa chuckled and replied that was EXACTLY why he made sure to tell Souta that it was just a legend and that no matter how many times he tries to tell Kagome it is just a legend she won't believe him. "It seems I have learned from my mistake."

Souta thought a moment, then asked "So if they were never real, how come it is in our history books at school?"

"I am sure that the story is based on fact, but we all know there are no such things as youkai. People in the Warring States Era found it hard to believe that humans were capable of such terrible actions, so they called them youkai and made them into monsters."

Souta seemed to accept that for a moment, then asked "But why is there an arrow sticking out of a bunch of vines that are in the shape of a body?"

"All the more reason to make up the story, someone was probably out hunting and missed their target. Because it looks like it is piercing a body-shaped bunch of vines through the chest, it was a great idea for a story. Just like when you look up at the stars at night and see constellations. It is all just imagination."

"Well don't let Kagome hear you say that, you know she will think you're crazy."

"She is doing her homework and has her headphones on, she can't hear me."


	4. Chapter 4

"You remember it's my birthday tomorrow, right Grandpa?" Kagome said cheerfully. Inuyasha could tell from the way she sounded she had a big smile on her face.

"Of course I remember, child. You wouldn't give me a chance to forget..."

Inuyasha had no trouble counting Kagome's past birthdays, they all seemed to have happened within about a year. She would be 15 tomorrow. He had heard, while Kagome's mother and grandfather were close to the tree whispering, that they were planning a party for her that night, so she would have the day of her birthday to be with her friends. They talked about the cake and how to keep Kagome from finding out they had planned the party. They also, at the end of the conversation, talked about something that was "in the news" a lot recently that had them worried. They debated whether it could be one person or a group of them, and Kagome's grandfather jokingly but worried said, "Maybe there are real youkai after all."

It felt to Inuyasha as if the sun had started to set. He had heard a loud noise and some yelling coming from the direction he knew the house was in. _"Must be the party they were planning,"_ he thought. But the more of the sound he got the more he felt like something was wrong. It didn't sound like happy noise. Then the breeze brought the smell of blood to his nose. He recognized the scent immediately from countless skinned hands and knees when she was learning to ride her "bike". This was the scent of Kagome's blood. She must have been close, or he wouldn't be aware of what was going on. He heard some shuffling, it sounded like someone was sliding down the stairs (which both Kagome and Souta did as children). The smell of Kagome and her blood was getting stronger, closer. He heard a whimper and knew it was her.

"Kagome!" _"What am I thinking, she can't hear me."_

"Who said that?"

She sounded terrified and tired. But did she actually hear him? "Kagome?"

"In... Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, I smell blood. What's going on?"

"I, It was my birthday party. We were just getting to the presents, someone knocked on the door. He pushed Mom aside and came in, said he was looking for something. When Grandpa asked him what he was looking for, he said he wasn't even sure if any of us knew it was there. I tried to get to the phone to call the police, but he pushed me through the open door. I fell down the stairs, I could see him looking at me, so I stayed still. As soon as he turned away from me I started crawling down the stairs. I need to get help."

He could smell the salt of her tears. A thought struck him, she smells like Kikyo, and her presence revives him. Could she be Kikyo's reincarnation? "Hey, see if you can pull this arrow out."

"What? Inuyasha, I need to get to the police, he might hurt my family."

"How soon can these 'police' be here?"

"I have to find a phone to call them, and it would only take them a few minutes to get here."

"Kagome, I'm already here. They may be too late. See if you can pull the arrow out, or would you rather lose the rest of your family?"

There was silence for a few seconds, then her scent was very close. He heard her grunting with effort, and hoped that this would work. If not, he may have just gotten her family hurt by delaying the help they needed.

"Inuyasha, it won't come out..."

"I know you can do it, Kagome, you just have to believe in yourself. Do you want your family to die? He may have already noticed you are no longer on the stairs. Do you want to die with them?"

"No!" There was louder grunting, then silence, then a very determined sounding Kagome shouting "I want to live!"

Suddenly his body was connected to his mind once more. While he could no longer feel the arrow through his chest, he was still encased in vines. He smelled the salt of her tears and the iron of her blood, and it was all the motivation he needed. He tore through the vines and found Kagome on the ground in front of the tree. There was blood on her forehead, and she looked as though she wanted to sleep.

"Kagome, get on my back. Show me where this guy is with your family. Don't fall asleep, with the wound on your head you shouldn't go to sleep."

Without a word she climbed on his back with his help, and pointed towards the house. When they made it to the top of the stairs he could hear the man yelling at her family, and put her down so she would be out of the way and safe. He went through the still open door, and luckily the man's back was towards him. Just as the man noticed that the family he was threatening had seen something behind him and was starting to turn to see who or what was there, Inuyasha knocked him over the head with his fist. As the man struggled to get back to his feet, Inuyasha stretched his claws and shouted "Iron reaver, Soul steale..."

INUYASHA! NO!

The shout came from Kagome and her mother at the same time.

Kagome grabbed a vase from the table and hit the man over the head making him slump to the ground, then she hurried over to Inuyasha and explained. "We need to call the police and have them take him into custody. We need to find a way to keep him from getting away until they get here to pick him up. Mom, call the police and tell them what happened... Well the basics, anyway. We have to figure out how to explain to the police how we could have overpowered him. Inuyasha, I think you need to hide until the police are gone."

Souta pointed to a scratch on the man's face where one of Inuyasha's claws grazed before he was stopped. "It looks like Buyo could have scratched him, then Kagome could have knocked him with the vase."

"OK, that's the story for the police, but where can we hide Inuyasha? I don't know how the police would take his appearance. It's not like there are many people in Japan with silver hair and dog ears."

Grandpa got a small smirk on his face and told Kagome "Put him in the dry well, they will have no reason to go near it. He should be quite safe in there."

Kagome's mother had called the police and told them there was a burglar in the house, she hung up the phone and now that the adrenaline had worn off she was staring at Inuyasha in disbelief with the rest of the family. Well, all except Kagome. She was getting fussed over by Inuyasha because of the blood on her forehead. She seemed embarrassed by the attention, but she was also trying her best to thank him for helping her family. The rest of the family had started to recover from the sight of this "living legend" and joined Kagome in trying to show gratitude to the hanyou. The most any of them got as a response was "Feh." Inuyasha's ears had turned trying to find out what sound he had heard in the distance. "What is that terrible wailing sound?"

Kagome suddenly sprung to action. "That must be the police sirens! Inuyasha, follow me!" She grabbed Inuyasha's wrist and tried to pull him out the door, but she seemed to get a little disoriented. Inuyasha turned his back towards her and instructed her to once again get on and show him the way. Kagome directed him to the well house, but she seemed a little nervous about entering. Then she heard the sirens and led him through the sliding door. It was very dark in the well house, but Inuyasha had no problems with navigating down to the old well that was in the middle of the small hut. Kagome on the other hand seemed like she couldn't see a thing. He led her down the steps to the well. "Hold still" he said quietly and put a hand on each side of Kagome's head. She seemed very nervous at his touch, so he added "I'm not going to hurt you." He still smelled fresh blood from her wound, so he licked it.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"Calm down, it's still bleeding. My saliva should stop it in no time. Do you want your police to hear you and find me in here?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. It's just that a lot has happened today."

Kagome suddenly seemed and smelled very nervous. "I have to get back to the house, I have to tell the police about being pushed down the stairs and sneaking back in and breaking the vase over the guys head. I just hope we can convince them it was the cat that scratched him. I, I'll be back to get you once they leave, OK?" Without waiting for a response she was gone. Inuyasha shouted after her to be careful of her footing, she shouldn't be running with a head wound but she was already out of sight.


	5. Chapter 5

Inuyasha could understand why the old well made Kagome nervous. It smelled like a graveyard full of old bones. Inuyasha remembered the old well outside of Kikyo's village, the Bone Eater's Well was what they called it. They would throw the bodies of dead youkai in it and the next day they were gone. This well seemed to be about the same distance from the Sacred Tree, and he had heard Kagome's grandfather talk about how the original shrine had been destroyed and the new one built close to it. He wondered if this could indeed be the same well. He had heard the plan and knew he was supposed to hide _in_ the well, but could see no reason that hiding in the hut _beside_ the well wasn't good enough. He just didn't feel comfortable with jumping into that well.

It wasn't long after Kagome left that the sirens got very close and then stopped. There were many people, he could hear and smell them. He was not accustomed to being aware with Kagome not close enough to hear or smell. He realized how it bothered him to be so far from her, he felt very alone. He was glad to no longer be sealed to the tree, but the whole time he was sealed (at least the whole time he was aware of) she was there with him. It felt as if a piece of him was missing, and he hoped these "police" didn't stay long. He needed to get back to Kagome. He caught sight if some blue flashing light in the small crack under the doors of the well house, he thought at first it might have been some strange lightning but he heard no thunder and smelled no rain. He wanted to find out what it was, but he knew Kagome wanted him to stay here until these strangers were gone. He started to hear people again, some where coming out of the house. He could tell they had the man who had attacked Kagome's family with them, he could smell him. The time he had to wait in the well house seemed like an eternity, but finally he had heard the last car pull away. He rushed to the doors but just before he got to them to open them and rush back to Kagome, he heard another vehicle approach. He stopped and tried to peak between the doors but there wasn't enough space to see anything. Two men got out of this car, and called to Kagome while she must have been on her way to get Inuyasha from the well. They both introduced themselves, and he heard the word "detective" in both of their names. He had heard one ask Kagome about the man who had attacked her and asked if she had any idea what he might have been after. The other seemed to be concerned that after such an experience, Kagome was out alone. She sounded nervous when she replied that she was just out looking for the cat, who had run off after scratching the stranger. The "detective" told her not to worry, that the cat would return when things were quiet again. A few more questions and they returned to their car, just as it sounded like they were going to leave, one of them shouted to Kagome. "Excuse me, but can I ask you one last question? I see someone took the legend of Inuyasha seriously and cut through the vines on the sacred tree to try and uncover him. The arrow is gone as well. Was it the same man who attacked you?"

Kagome replied nervously, "I don't know, I didn't see the man before he came into the house during my party, and I haven't been near the sacred tree yet. He did mention that he was looking for something, but he said he was sure we didn't know it was here, if he had looked for Inuyasha before coming in he would have known that what he had looked for really wasn't here, I guess."

The detective must have been satisfied with that answer, they left without saying another word. Inuyasha seemed to get a strange scent from one of the detectives, and he couldn't help but think that it must be the detective that asked Kagome about the tree. He couldn't place the scent, but it didn't seem entirely human...


	6. Chapter 6

Kagome and Inuyasha had opened the doors at the same time, with the force that Inuyasha had used he found Kagome falling when the door opened and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Sorry! I heard the police leave and was coming to make sure everyone was OK, I told you with a head wound like that you should be careful. I can find my way back to the house, you didn't have to come get me. Is your family alright?"

Kagome's cheeks had a slight blush, and Inuyasha realized he was holding her very close after catching her mid fall. He made sure she was safely on her feet. "Yeah, we are all OK, I guess. They wanted to take me in an ambulance to the hospital, but I told them I was fine."

"What is an "ambulance" and a "hospital"?

Kagome looked confused, then after thinking for a few seconds replied "Oh yeah, I forgot. You've been sealed to the Sacred Tree for a long time. There are a lot of things that you wouldn't know about. An ambulance is a vehicle they use to take people who are hurt and need medical attention to the hospital, which is a large building with many doctors where people go to get better."

"You're head is in bad shape, you should have gone to get help."

"It doesn't even hurt anymore since you licked it."

Inuyasha noticed the blush return to Kagome's cheeks.

"I still get a little dizzy if I turn my head too fast, but otherwise I feel a lot better. Let's get back to the house, before anyone else shows up."

Inuyasha kneeled with his back toward her again. "Get on." Kagome hesitated a little, and Inuyasha felt her rub his ears. "Sorry, I just had to get that out of my system."

When they got back in the house, Inuyasha was overwhelmed by the questions that seemed to come from everyone at once.

"How did you get down from the tree?"

"What broke the seal?"

"Do you remember the whole time you where sealed?"

"You know that it wasn't Kikyo's fault, right?"

"EVERYONE BE QUIET! I will tell you the whole story if you promise to stop hurting my ears with your questions!"

They all sat on the "couch" except for Inuyasha who sat on the floor facing them.

He retold what he had remembered, which was Kikyo sealing him and the last smell was her blood, though he hadn't hurt her. Then smelling Kikyo's scent, but as the smell of an infant, and it was Kagome. He explained that her presence was what had awakened him, and he only remembered times when she was close. He couldn't quite explain how he was able to call to her after he had smelled her blood and knew something was wrong. He told them of his suspicions that Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyo, and that was why he was sure she could remove the arrow. At some point during the explanation, Kagome's mother (she insisted that Inuyasha call her Mama, as Souta and Kagome did) and Souta had also felt the need to rub his ears. Grandpa, however, seemed to want to keep his distance. It was as if he was still trying to determine whether Inuyasha was real or not.

After he had filled them in on his perspective of the evening's events, it was Inuyasha'a turn to question the family. He wanted to know everything they could remember of the man, and what he had said about why he was there. Kagome started. "I just remember hearing the knock on the door, and seeing Mama answer it and asking if she could help him. The man pushed her further back into the house before he said anything, then stated that he was here to retrieve something. When Grandpa said if it was shrine business it would have to wait until the next day, the man got mad. He said that it was indeed shrine business but what he was looking for wouldn't be in the inventory. He said that he doubted any of us even knew of it's presence. That is when I tried to get to the phone to call for help, and grabbed me. I tried to get away, and kicked him. That is when he pushed me and I went through the open door and stumbled on the stairs. You know the rest as well as I do."

Mama filled in what they had missed. "He seemed to regret that you had fallen down the stairs, like he didn't want to hurt you. But he also seemed relieved that you were no longer in the house. He had asked us about the history of the shrine, and if anything odd had occurred while we were here. He seemed to think there was something very powerful here, and said he was sure someone would have come before him to try and find it. He wanted to know where previous guardians of the shrine were buried, and how far back records were kept. He kept insisting that what he wanted was here, but very well guarded. He also used the words kept, disguised, and protected. It wasn't long before you came in."

Inuyasha thought for a moment. "He was asking about the history of the shrine and it's previous guardians remains? Do you think he might be looking for the sacred jewel?"

Grandpa spoke up. "No one has seen the Sacred Jewel since Kikyo's death, why would anyone be looking for it now?"

"Don't your history books say that the Jewel was burned with Kikyo's body, at her request? He might think the jewel is with her remains. Does anyone know where her ashes were buried?"

Grandpa thought for a moment. "There was supposedly a small shrine built to honor her, and this small shrine held her ashes. When the original shrine and part of the village burnt, the location of the shrine was lost for a long time. It was only during the construction of the city that an urn was uncovered not far from here, and it is believed to hold Kikyo's ashes. No one is certain of this, though. I tried to get them to bring the urn here, this would have been it's rightful place and another shrine should be built to honor Kikyo once more. The city would not send it here, however, and it was sent to the museum instead and labeled only as an urn that was believed to hold the ashes of someone from the Sengoku Jidai. There was no media attention to the urn, and they told me that if I had started any trouble about it I would be arrested. They seemed to think that it would upset people that the urn did not stay at the shrine, and didn't want any angry people to protest the fate of the urn."

"So if the man didn't know that the urn was no longer near the shrine, he would naturally look here for it first. I think he might think that the jewel is with Kikyo's ashes, even though if it was I'm sure some demon would have gotten it a long time ago. I wonder what makes him so sure that the jewel is here. Kagome, if you are Kikyo's reincarnation you should be able to detect the jewel. Have you ever felt anything out of the ordinary around the shrine grounds?"

Kagome's face turned a little pink, and she answered shyly. "The only thing I have felt out of the ordinary around the shrine was your presence. As far back as I can remember, I just _knew_ that you were in those vines. I haven't felt anything else. Well, except..."

Inuyasha looked at the puzzled look on Kagome's face, and didn't like the suspense of waiting for her to answer. "Except what?"

"That detective today, the one that asked me about you. He felt a little strange to me. His presence didn't feel dangerous, but, well... He just didn't feel human. Not quite the same as your aura, but close."

Mama, Grandpa, and Souta all spoke at the same time. "What detective?"

Kagome turned to them and explained. "When I went to the well to get Inuyasha, there were two detectives that pulled up in a plain black car. They questioned me about the man, and I told them all that I knew. As they were leaving, the taller of the two asked about why the vines were cut from the Sacred Tree and the arrow missing. He wanted to know if the man had done it."

Inuyasha asked Kagome what the detective looked like. "While I was hiding, I heard everyone else leave. I thought it was safe to come out. That is when I heard that car pull up. I couldn't see the detectives, but I could hear and smell them. You're right, one didn't smell entirely human."

Kagome thought for a second. "As I said, he was taller than the other detective, but not freakishly tall. He had a very plain face, and long hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. The strangest part of it was, I felt that even though I was looking right at him I wasn't really seeing him."


	7. Chapter 7

"So where is this 'museum'? I would be able to tell if Kikyo's ashes are in the urn, just by the smell. And Kagome, you should be able to tell if the jewel is in with her ashes. You should be able to feel it if it is close enough, Kikyo always could."

Kagome thought for a moment, then replied: "I went to the museum recently on a school trip. I think it closes at 5. We will have to wait and go tomorrow after it re-opens. It will have to be early, my friends have a whole day planned for my birthday, which is actually tomorrow. I didn't even know I was having a party tonight. Which reminds me, don't I have presents?"

Everyone except Kagome chuckled. She looked a little embarrassed when she said, "What? It's been a long day!" Mama put her hand on Kagome's shoulder, "Yes, it has. Let's get to those presents. The sooner we get through those, the sooner we can eat the cake."

Souta jumped up. "Open mine first!" and ran to the pile of brightly colored packages on the table. He picked one up and handed it to his sister, a very proud look on his face. She opened it eagerly, and a smile lit up her face. "Souta, thank you! It's my favorite!" She held it up so everyone could see, it was a case with some bottles and a smaller package in it, Inuyasha caught a floral scent as she moved it. She gave her brother a big hug, which left him looking a little annoyed. By the time she was done with presents she also had some new clothes, a new bike, and some school supplies. She also got, but didn't seem very happy about, some kind of petrified hand from Grandpa. He told her that it was very valuable, and was beginning to tell her all about it when she tried to feed it to the cat. This did not make Grandpa happy at all. She looked so happy with her presents, and Inuyasha felt really bad that he had nothing to give her. She must have noticed the sad look on his face, and came over to sit next to him.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong? Do you miss your own time? Do you miss the friends you had there? Your family?"

"Feh, I had no friends except Kikyo who is dead, and the only family I got is a brother who hates me. I don't have any present for you, but Happy Birthday anyway."

"Oh, Inuyasha, it sounds like you must have been very lonely. And you were sealed to a tree for over 500 years by your only friend. Why would you even think that you would need to get me a present?!? Without you, we very well might have all died tonight! The fact that you were there when I needed you most is the best present anyone could ask for!"

Inuyasha looked at the young woman when he smelled the salt of her tears, she had a little pink on her cheeks again.

"And that is just not about tonight. You were always there for me when I needed someone I could talk to about anything, do you remember when my father died?"

Inuyasha just wanted to hold her and tell her that nothing would ever hurt her or make her cry again, he wouldn't allow it. He couldn't stop himself from wiping a tear from her cheek, and for a moment there eyes met and he felt something indescribable. She must have felt something as well, her face got the darkest red he had seen it and she got up nervously.

"So, Mama, does this mean we can have cake now?"

"Sure, dear, it is your birthday. If you want your cake now, I'll go get it from the kitchen. Inuyasha, can you help me carry it?"

"Um, sure Mrs. Higurashi."

"Now you know we have talked about this..."

"Sorry, I meant to say 'sure Mama'."

"That's better, dear."

They had entered the "kitchen" and Mama told Inuyasha that she would get the plates if he would carry the cake. Before he could pick up the cake, she rushed to him and hugged him very tightly. He was shocked by the sudden show of emotion from a woman who appeared as strong as she did. She reminded him of his own mother in a way, especially since she seemed to accept him for who he was. Only Kikyo had accepted him in his time since his mother had died, and as Kagome had pointed out Kikyo had wanted him to change for her. He could tell by her body being pressed so close to his that she was sobbing. He returned the embrace lightly, not sure how to handle the situation. She regained her composure quickly and the sobbing stopped. While still holding him, she spoke.

"Inuyasha, I don't know how to thank you. I didn't expect a simple birthday party to involve my daughter being injured and the need for calling the police. I can't thank you enough for watching over my family when I was so helpless."

"I suppose you should thank Kikyo, she was the reason I was here. If she hadn't pinned me to the tree I wouldn't have been waiting for Kagome to come along and release me from the seal."

"How close were you and Kikyo? She must have cared for you very much if she thought you were the one that hurt her but was unable to kill you. There must have been some doubt in her heart that you were the one responsible for her death."

"Yeah, I guess. I just wish that I was the one to defeat that bastard, what was his name, Naraku?"

"Inuyasha, language." Mama said in a very stern tone, one that intimidated Inuyasha as if he was actually one of her children.

With that, the emotional moment was over, and they returned to the rest of the family with the plates and the birthday cake.


	8. Chapter 8

Inuyasha wondered how long this tradition of candles on a "cake" had been going on. There were 15 candles on the cake, one for each year of Kagome's age. When all the candles were lit, Mama told Kagome to "Make a wish, dear" and Kagome closed her eyes for a second then blew out all the candles at once. Everyone clapped, then Mama removed the candles and started to cut the cake into squares and placed the squares on plates. Kagome passed them out, and when Souta tried to get a bite from his right away, Mama yelled at him. "Souta, you know that Kagome gets the first bite. It is her cake." Inuyasha took the hint and waited until they all were ready to eat the cake and Kagome had taken the first bite to try it. It was very sweet, especially the gooey layer on the top where the candles were. He hadn't remembered tasting anything like it, but then again since the death of his mother he hadn't eaten alot of traditional human food. He mostly just ate what ever he could catch, even if the only thing he could catch was fish. This cake, even though much sweeter than anything he had ever eaten before, was pretty good. He realized that he hadn't eaten in over 500 years, and suddenly felt extremely hungry. He didn't want to disturb the family that was peacefully enjoying second pieces of cake, so he figured he would settle for seconds of the cake as well, and that would have to do for now. As he was getting his second piece, his stomach had other plans. A loud growl echoed through the room, and Inuyasha turned red with embarrassment. Mama was the one who spoke up first.

"Oh, Inuyasha, forgive me! I wasn't thinking about dinner, we had all gone for pizza before the party started. All I have right now is some ramen, would you like me to make you some?"

"What's ramen?"

"Noodles, and it is ready in no time, go ahead and finish your cake and I'll make you some."

Inuyasha ate the last bite of cake on his plate, and Mama handed him a weird looking bowl. It was a little too tall to be called a bowl, really, and it was made out of something that was a little soft but still firm enough to hold its shape.

"That was fast."

Inuyasha took the first bite of the ramen, and wondered why his mother had never fed him this. It was delicious! The noodles were just the right consistency and the broth was seasoned just right. There were also small chunks of meat (a little too small for Inuyasha, whose main diet had been meat) and some vegetables as well. He had finished the ramen just as quickly as Mama had made it for him.

"Is it safe to assume that you would like some more?" Mama asked with a smile.

"Yes, please. I haven't eaten in a while..."

Four ramens later, Inuyasha was finally full. The family had settled on the couch, with Grandpa in his own, rather worn-looking chair. The couch seemed to only be meant for three people, but they had all squeezed in so there was room for Inuyasha. He had tried to sit on the floor, even said that he would be comfortable there and that was where he would prefer to sit, but Mama insisted that he sit on the couch. She had said that it was very nice of him to try to be polite, but she was not going to let a guest in her house sit on the floor unless there was a reason for it. Inuyasha then tried to argue that in his time, everyone sat on the floor. Mama had countered with "Well, you are no longer in that time so just make yourself comfortable on the couch with us."

Inuyasha tried his best, and the couch was nice and soft, and very comfortable. The thing that made him so uncomfortable was the fact that he was sitting so close to Kagome that her entire side was touching his. It wasn't the fact that it was unpleasant, it was far from it. It just made him uncomfortable, he almost felt embarrassed. It just felt a little too close, a little to intimate. This made no sense to him, he had carried her on his back multiple times, he had even licked her forehead. Why would this make him feel uncomfortable? The only explanation he could conjure was that earlier was a tense situation and they were running on instinct and adrenaline, now the only tension left was that he was sitting very close to a very attractive member of the opposite sex.

Inuyasha was shocked out if his pondering by a box that they were all facing. It became very bright and it was as if they were looking through a portal to another place. Then as Souta had pointed this small rectangular stick at it, the portal seemed to be in another place. It was even a different season and looked to be morning rather than after sunset. Then it focused on yet another place, and there was writing across the bottom, near the lower edge of the box. Inuyasha was too caught up in the wonder of this modern magic at first to question what it was. Soon he just had to know, and got up from the couch and approached the box. He barely heard Kagome ask, "Inuyasha, what are you doing?" and Souta complain, "Hey, we can't see through you, you know!"

He approached the box carefully, and tried to reach into the portal. His hand hit a surface that was very hard, and the people on the other end of the portal did not take any notice of him. He looked behind the box, to see what was there. All he found were some odd black vines that went into the wall. He wondered if that was how the portal worked. He had seen the same type of vines, only bigger, outside the house coming in. Maybe the key to the portal was that the vines created a pathway between places and someone could look and possibly travel through the enchanted vines. "How does this portal work?" he asked no one in particular.

Kagome was beside him, and took his hand. She led him back to the couch and motioned for him to return to his seat. "There are a lot of things in this time that are different from your time. Many things have changed while you were sealed. I will explain to you whatever I can. The TV, I am not sure exactly how it works but it is not a portal. Images are captured and sent to satellites. Those images are then broadcast through local stations either to an antenna or a cable service. We have cable, so the signal comes through a cable rather than through the air to be picked up by an antenna. There are many channels, and that is why there is more than one program on. Souta is really into channel surfing, so he doesn't leave it on a single channel for long."

Mama suddenly shouted, "Souta! Leave it there for a second, I want to hear what they are talking about on the news."


	9. Chapter 9

On the "news", which Inuyasha had heard Mama and Grandpa talking about before the party, there was a man standing in front of something burning. He was holding some kind of stick in his hand up to his mouth and seemed to be speaking into it. There were words across the bottom of the box again, Inuyasha couldn't read all of it. It didn't look quite the same as the writing he was used to. What he could make out was "Fire", "Tokyo", and "12 Dead". He asked Kagome about what was going on. She didn't take her eyes off the box, but filled him in. "There was another attack, this time at a school. Luckily there were not many people there. There have been quite a few attacks recently, and they are getting more frequent. No one is really sure who is behind them or why."

Inuyasha didn't know what the big deal was, there were attacks on other villages all the time where, or rather when, he came from. "It is probably the same as it always is. Someone wants more land, or more power. Or they want to steal food, livestock or supplies to make it through the winter. It happens all the time."

Kagome finally turned from the box and looked at Inuyasha with sadness and fear in her eyes. "Not here it doesn't. Times have changed, people use politics now in place of strength to intimidate others. There is very little violence in normal situations, wars are not as commonplace as they used to be. At least here in Tokyo, and most other modern and civilized places in the world. There are some countries and remote locations that would remind you more of where you come from, but we usually don't see that anymore. Nowadays this is called terrorism."

"I wonder how much I have really missed while I was sealed to the sacred tree..." Inuyasha wondered out loud. Kagome rubbed his arm in a comforting way. "Don't worry, I'll help you find out. We can start with our trip to the museum tomorrow. That is where people go to learn about history, and I'm sure you will see some stuff that will remind you of home. Speaking of which, we should get to bed early so we can get to the museum right when it opens. There won't be a lot of people there that early." Then, after a slight pause, "Well, I should get to bed anyway. You have been sleeping a while and probably aren't that tired, I suppose. I will show you the way to the museum first thing in the morning, then I have to get back here to get ready for school. Goodnight everyone."

Right after Kagome went up the steps that seemed to lead to her sleeping quarters, Mama had told Souta that he should get to bed as well. Grandpa said that he was going to call it a night, too, and left down a narrow hall. Mama turned to Inuyasha and said that even though he had been sealed to the tree for centuries, it had still been a very stressful day and he should try to get some sleep as well. She left the room briefly and returned with a blanket and a pillow that she put on the couch. "I am going to turn in as well, see you in the morning, dear."

Inuyasha had listened to Mama's advice and _tried_ to sleep. Unfortunately he found it difficult to even _relax_. He paced the floor, then sat on the floor, then paced the floor some more. He realized shortly after everyone left him alone that he was beginning to get hungry again. He was going to go to the kitchen to try and make some of that ramen, but he hadn't seen any place for a fire in there when he was helping Mama get the cake. He had no idea how to make it, even though it seemed Mama only about a minute each time she had made it for him earlier. "Hmm, tomorrow I am going to have to ask her to show me how to make it."

He thought that maybe some fresh air would help him to relax. He tried to get out the door, but it wouldn't open. He didn't know why, but thought maybe after the intruder earlier they had placed a barrier on the house to keep anyone else from getting in. He paced a little more, then decided he couldn't take it anymore. He tried to find where Mama had went to ask for her help. He got to a door that led to her scent, but the breathing he had heard from the other side told him that she was sleeping peacefully. He had found the same at Grandpa's door, though he had no intention of asking Grandpa for help. He went up the stairs that Kagome and Souta had taken, and the first door he came to was Souta's. His breathing was that of a sleeping person as well. When he had gotten to Kagome's door, he found himself momentarily lost in the scent that was so strong here. He remembered at first how it reminded him of Kikyo's scent, but had developed into a scent all it's own. It was a very pleasant scent, even though at times it was partially covered by other (usually floral) scents. Her breathing was not quite that of a person in deep sleep, although she sounded very relaxed. He took one more deep breath of her scent, then quietly called her name.

"Kagome?"

"Huh? Who is it?" She sounded tired, but at least she was still awake.

"It's me, Inuyasha. I tried to get outside to take a walk but I can't get out the door. Also I am still a little hungry. Can you help me?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure. I'll be... Right... There."

Inuyasha waited, but she didn't come out. He called to her again, and got no response. Her breathing now sounded like she was just as asleep as the rest of her family. Just then, his stomach growled. He needed either some ramen or to get out of the house to find some food, and he could do neither on his own. "Kagome!" he shouted in the loudest whisper he could manage. Still no answer. He reached for the door, and opened it slowly. She was sleeping on her side on a very fluffy looking bed. His stomach growled again loudly, and she stirred a little.

"Kagome?"

"Ehh, Hummm"

"Kagome, please get up and help me."

"Huh?" With that she slowly opened her eyes and seen Inuyasha looking through her bedroom door. She looked very surprised and as if she was going to scream. Before she could, Inuyasha backed out of the door and said in a low voice "I'll be waiting for you downstairs." She met him at the bottom of the stairs and asked how she could help him. He explained again that he was hungry, and that he couldn't get out of the house when he tried. She said she would make him some ramen, and that they keep the door locked at night for security. She stumbled into the kitchen, still not completely awake it seemed. Inuyasha followed her and watched her make the ramen so he could try to make it himself next time. She opened the top, which was covered by some type of paper. Then she filled it most of the way with water by turning a knob which was connected to a shiny pipe. She then placed it into a box, which almost looked like a smaller version of the TV that they had been watching earlier. She poked it a few times and it lit up and made a humming sound. "How does that make the ramen? Can you show me how to do that?"

"Tomorrow, OK? I'm too tired now. A moment later there was a high-pitched sound, not quite a whistle, and the humming stopped. The box was dark. She opened the box and placed the ramen on the table. He started eating immediately, and she started to leave the kitchen. "Wait, how can I get outside?"

"If you hurry up and eat I can let you out. I will have to lock the door again, though. I don't really want to lock you out of the house, but I'm really tired and can't wait up for you to come back in."

"I'll be OK out there, I'll sleep in the branches of the Sacred Tree. I am used to sleeping in trees."

Kagome smiled slightly, and looked amused.

"What?"

"I thought only cats climbed trees, I wouldn't have expected it from a dog demon." She chuckled quietly.

"I am definitely NOT a cat!"

"OK, OK. No need to yell and wake everyone up. If you are sure you want to sleep outside I will let you out before I go back to bed. Are you ready?"

Inuyasha hurriedly finished the last of the ramen and followed her to the door. She opened it and he walked outside. "Are you sure you want to stay out there? The couch would be a lot more comfortable."

"Yeah, I'll be fine. See you in the morning Kagome, sleep well." He gave her a small smile, and noticed that she blushed slightly before closing the door. He heard a click when the door was closed, and thought that must have been her locking it again. He walked around for about an hour. He found the stranger's scent and followed it as far as he could. He stopped at one of the cars parked a few houses up the road. The stranger must have used this car to get here, but it was far enough away from the house to not attract attention. He thought to himself that he would have to tell Kagome about this when they went to the museum in the morning. Another scent caught his attention, it was the scent of the detective that didn't smell entirely human. It wasn't an old scent, this was fresh and coming closer. Inuyasha jumped up into the nearest tree and hid the best he could, remembering what Kagome said about not being sure how the police would take his appearance.


	10. Chapter 10

The "detective" came into sight shortly after Inuyasha got settled in the tree. He stopped, looked around slowly, then it looked as though he was actually sniffing the air. Inuyasha started to feel like hiding in the tree wasn't the best idea, he should have gone back to the shrine. The detective put his hand to his chin like he was thinking, then walked over to the car that Inuyasha had followed the stranger's scent to. The detective looked at the car, then Inuyasha was sure of it this time, he sniffed it. The detective took something out of his pocket and walked to the back of the car. He seemed to be writing something. Then the detective walked around a little. Inuyasha caught his scent very strongly with the change of the wind, and caught an animal smell. Hoping that the change in wind acted in his favor and would help to keep him undetected, Inuyasha studied the face of the detective closely. The hair was long enough to be gathered into a pony tail, but not very long. This man looked like a normal man, there was no feature that stood out as anything other than human. The only indication that he wasn't human was that scent, but it wasn't strong enough for him to be a demon. Was he only part demon? Even a half-demon smelled more demon than this man did, was he perhaps less than half? Was there a demon somewhere distant in his bloodline?

"So do you think the burglar came here in this car? His scent is all over it."

Inuyasha froze in the tree. Did the detective just speak to him? How did he know that Inuyasha was close, did he smell him? Or was the detective just thinking out loud? Inuyasha didn't dare move. He would fight if he had to, but he would rather find his way back to Kagome. He was unaccustomed to being away from her and suddenly felt as though he needed to be by her side, he needed to watch over her. He stayed hidden on the tree, not sure of what to do. He didn't know if this detective was trustworthy, and in Inuyasha's experience no one was ever really trustworthy. He stared at the detective, hoping he would give up and walk away.

"I wonder what he was looking for at the Higurashi shrine? There are many historical and spiritual items there, but nothing of real power. What is sold in the gift shop are recreations, just useless trinkets. Even the old man's sutras are fairly useless. If it was you the man was looking for, he wouldn't have had to go into the house or the shrine. He would have found you still pinned to the tree."

Inuyasha's heart pounded in his chest. _'He does know I'm here, should I run or see what he has to say?'_ The detective stopped right under the branch that Inuyasha was hiding in and looked up at him.

"No one was sure if anyone besides Kikyo would have been able to break the seal, but it seems her soul has been reborn. Upon returning to this world, we are worried that her soul might have brought the sacred jewel back as well. That is why Onigumu has been reincarnated, we are almost positive. We have much to talk about, wouldn't it be easier if you would come out of that tree. I am not here to threaten you, I am here to watch over Kagome."

"I can watch over Kagome, she doesn't need you." Inuyasha landed in front of the detective, full of pride and arrogance. How dare this stranger even assume that Inuyasha was weak and incompetent. "How did you know that I was here, and who the hell are you?"

The detective only smiled, he had a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Follow me, we need to get where no one can see us. Then I will tell you what I can." The detective started to walk away, but Inuyasha didn't follow. Without turning around, the detective said "I am not trying to harm you, or trick you. We need to get somewhere that humans can't see or hear us. If you would rather return to Kagome and not find out why I am here, go ahead. We will meet again."

Inuyasha slowly started following the detective. He thought as long as he stays far enough away from him, he could escape if the detective were to try anything. He did not trust this man, but something told him he was telling the truth. They walked around the corner in the direction the detective had come. They eventually came to a car, Inuyasha assumed it was the same car that brought this detective and his partner to the shrine while Inuyasha was hiding in the well house. The detective got in, and opened the other door for Inuyasha to get in as well. Inuyasha felt that this was a very bad idea, how could he get away once inside? Where would he be taken? The detective sat patiently waiting for Inuyasha to make up his mind.

"I will get in on one condition. Take me directly to the shrine, I have left Kagome alone too long. I will talk with you in your car, but only as long as I am close to Kagome."

"Fair enough."

Inuyasha reluctantly got into the car. The inside of the car was like nothing he had seen before. Of course, since Kagome had broken the seal just about everything was like nothing he had ever seen before. As he pulled the door shut like he had seen the detective do, he heard and felt the rumble as the detective started the car. The front wall of the car, at least the part of it that wasn't see through, lit up like there were many fireflies trapped just on the other side. The detective pulled a lever, then turned a wheel, and the car started to move forward. It was an odd feeling, there was nothing visibly making this car move and it seemed like they actually shouldn't be moving at all. The ride was much smoother than riding on a wagon or in a carriage (which Inuyasha had only experienced a few times while very young, while his mother was still alive) and it seemed like the pace that they were going wasn't nearly what this horseless carriage was capable of. They both sat in silence as the detective drove to the shrine. When they got there, the detective stopped the car in front of the well house so they were far enough away from the house as to not disturb anyone inside.

"I can't tell you everything, but eventually if you decide to trust me I can take you to someone who can. If history happened another way, we would have been very close. You would have known me, along with the others that you must have heard about in the history of Naraku. You and Kagome would have been there, and helped to defeat him. We all would have played our part. There are some of us left who remember those times, and we think that with the reincarnation of Kikyo's soul, Onigumo's soul has returned as well. We think that is who is behind all of the attacks recently, he is looking for anything that may bring him more power. At the last attack, a school, he stole one of the school's founder's rings. This man was very wise, and when he had started a small school a little over 300 years ago he had left his insignia ring with the school. He hoped it would bring good fortune to the students. That school has grown since then, but the ring has always been displayed openly there. The ring seems to be all that the attackers took with them, but they nearly destroyed the school completely. At all of the locations that have been attacked, there have been similar items that have not been recovered. It seems someone is looking for anything that might offer knowledge, spiritual power, wisdom, or physical strength. There have been signs of a great source of power coming from the area of the Higurashi shrine, and being a shrine it very well may contain an item that the person behind the attacks may find useful. We can not pinpoint the source of the power, it only comes rarely. It was sensed tonight, however. According to the timeline that we have pieced together from the accounts of those at the shrine, it seems that it was showing quite strongly while the burglar was in the house. Now I wonder if you can fill me in on what _really_ happened, since we obviously didn't get the whole story. I am fairly certain that it was not the cat that scratched the burglars face, and I wonder if the power showed the brightest while your seal was being broken."

Inuyasha just stared for a minute, trying to take it all in. He glanced up towards Kagome's window, and then with a deep breath told the detective all he could remember of that night. He had seen no reason not to think that this man was just trying to help, even his scent seemed to say that he was being completely honest even though he was leaving some things out.

"It helps to know the whole story, but if something like this happens again, do not show yourself to the police. Handle the situation the same way: keep your involvement secret."

"Aren't you the police?"

"Not exactly, we handle the things that the human police wouldn't begin to understand."

"Human police? Who are you?"

With a small grin, the detective leaned forward and pulled up a pant leg. He untied something from his ankle, and as soon as he placed it on the seat and was no longer in contact with it he was obviously not human. Inuyasha was caught off guard by the sudden demon smell that filled the car. It was unmistakably kitsune.

"Just call me Shippo, I will introduce you later to someone you _might_ actually remember."


	11. Chapter 11

Inuyasha spent the rest of the night in the Sacred Tree. He found that from the one branch he got a really good, unobstructed view of Kagome's window. He felt much more comfortable knowing that he could watch over her and make sure she was safe. He got no sleep, but had plenty of time to think about all that had happened since the last time he was able to sit in a branch of a tree. He thought about Kikyo, and how he hadn't been there to protect her and didn't trust her enough to know that she would never betray him without significant cause. He thought about how he felt when Kagome's presence first awakened him after 550 years although it seemed like a blink of an eye. Maybe this was why he was here, to protect Kagome like he should have protected Kikyo. He was getting a second chance because he at first had failed. Then the thoughts of Kagome while she had read the history book to him came to the front of his thoughts. She had said that Kikyo was selfish, and should have accepted him the way he was. But no one had accepted half youkai, why would he have expected Kikyo to accept him. But Kagome accepted him... She saw no reason for him to change, and it seemed her family was OK with his mixed blood as well. And they were not accustomed to the presence of youkai at all. Inuyasha had heard Grandpa joke about youkai, on multiple occasions. So where did all the youkai go? There was obviously one other, the detective that was in the car: Shippo. Where had he heard that name before? It sounded familiar. Was that name in the stories that he had heard from Grandpa as he told them to his grandchildren? Or was that name in the history book that Kagome had read. He could not think of any Shippo before he had been sealed to the tree. What would they find at this "museum"? Were the ashes in the urn really those of Kikyo? Was the sacred jewel with the ashes? Inuyasha thought that if the jewel had been there, it certainly wouldn't still be there now.

He sat and thought about everything the detective, Shippo, had said. Could it be the same evil soul that killed Kikyo that was now going after Kagome and her family? What was the ultimate goal of the attacks and the collection of artifacts? He was still thinking about many things when the sun started to peak above the horizon. He waited to see any movement come from the house. His patience was never abundant, and after the sun was a little farther in the sky he could be patient no longer. He jumped from the tree and easily landed on the roof just outside of Kagome's window. He had no idea how to open it, so he tapped on it. He could smell Kagome's scent coming from the other side, and after a few more taps heard a very low mumbled "Buyo, stop it."

"Kagome, get up and let me in!"

"Huh, wha... Who said that?"

"Kagome, let me in!"

"Inuyasha? Where are you?"

"Outside where you left me."

"Hey, you told me to leave you out there!"

"I know, but I am ready to come in."

He soon heard a rustling, then seen her feet swing off the bed and her walk to the window. She made something click on the side of the window and then slid one part of it over to overlap the other. As soon as there was enough room he climbed in. She seemed a little nervous with his presence, and quickly turned around with a slight blush and covered up again with her bedding. He just shook his head and looked around the room. Her scent was overpowering in the small space. He caught Kagome looking at him with a puzzled expression, and he was wondering why she wasn't getting ready to go to the museum. She had said they had to go early, before "school".

"Aren't you going to get up? We have to go to the museum, how much time do we have before it opens?"

"Well, if I remember correctly from the school trip, it opens at 7. We should just have time to get there and look around a bit before I have to be at school." She gathered some clothes and a towel. "Let me take a shower and get changed. Mom should be up shortly to make breakfast."

"OK, well, let me know when you are ready." With that Inuyasha sat on the bed and waited for Kagome to get ready to leave. This seemed to make Kagome's cheeks get a little more red. She quickly left the room with her clothes in her hand. Inuyasha heard her close the door across the hall, and then he heard the sound of a small waterfall. A few minutes later the water stopped and he heard some rustling and mumbling. Kagome reentered the room with a towel on her head and...

"WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? I hope you are not going to the museum like that! You need to cover up better than that, that kimono is WAY too short!"

"Inuyasha, what are you talking about? This is the standard school uniform, all the girls at school wear this same uniform! I can't go dressed differently than everyone else just because YOU don't like it!"

"Well they are idiots for wearing something that revealing, it doesn't mean you have to go along with everything they do."

"I have worn this uniform since I started going to that school, why would I stop wearing it now?"

"Kagome?" Souta's voice came from the other side of the door, "Why are you being so loud, it isn't time to get up yet?"

"Sorry, Souta. I didn't mean to wake you. I had to get up early today so Inuyasha and I can stop at the museum before I go to school."

"Well, you don't have to wake up everyone else in the house, do you?" His footsteps faded away from the other side of the door and back to his own.

More footsteps were heard coming up the stairs. Mama's voice was the next one on the other side of the door. "Kagome? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, sorry Mama. Inuyasha woke me early so we can get to the museum, but he doesn't approve of my school uniform and is telling me I have to cover up better before going out in public."

"Oh..." The doorknob slowly turned and Mama looked in. She seemed like she didn't really want to see what was going on in the room, but after seeing Inuyasha sitting on the bed and Kagome standing on the other side of the room she seemed to relax a bit. "Inuyasha, dear, I know the skirt is a little short. But that is the uniform that Kagome's school requires. I know things were different five centuries ago, but times have changed. Why don't you come help me with breakfast while Kagome finishes getting ready for school?"

"Ummm, sure Mrs. Higurashi."

As he followed her out of the room, she told him what she had the night before. "We have talked about this, you can call me Mama." He followed her to the kitchen, where it seemed like she had already started on breakfast. She had him put the dishes on the table, and then gave him some eggs and bacon on one of those plates. He had gobbled it down while Mama cooked for everyone else, and by the time Kagome came down the stairs he was done eating and Mama was done with the cooking. While Kagome ate, Mama had asked Inuyasha to follow her. When they got to what was her bedroom, she looked at him with her hand under her chin, deep in thought. She went to the closet, got some clothes and handed them to him.

"Change into these clothes, they were my husband's. I kept them because I like to wear them as pajamas on colder nights. They will draw less attention than your own clothes, and then we will see what we can do about hiding your ears. I will be right outside the door, let me know when you are changed."

Inuyasha undressed, and put on the modern clothes. He then went to the door and told Mama that he was finished. She had somethings in her hand. "OK, let's see about hiding those ears..." She brought up a comb, and a few minutes and a few tugs of the hair later she placed something else over his head. She then led him to a mirror. It was uncomfortable to not be able to move his ears, almost like he was back in the vines again. It felt like she had combed his long hair over his ears, and to make sure that they stayed covered placed a red hat over them. The pants were not quite as baggy as his original ones were, but fairly comfortable. The shirt wasn't bad either, but left his arms exposed. He didn't have any sleeves to hide his hands into. The last thing that she handed him was a pair of sandals.

"I'm not wearing those..."

"Sorry dear, but you have to. Shoes are required in public places and they won't let you into the museum without them. Would you rather have a pair of sneakers?"

"What are sneakers?"

"A lot more shoe than those sandals, your whole foot will be inside and you would have to wear socks with them as well."

"Umm... Let's just go with the sandals..."

The first few steps with the sandals were a little odd, but he eventually got used to the feeling. He assumed that he wouldn't run too well in them, though. By the time Mama was done with him and he made it back to the kitchen, Kagome was ready to leave. They left the house and started walking towards the museum. While they were walking, Kagome asked him where the clothes were from, she called the pants "sweats" and the shirt was a "t-shirt". Inuyasha explained the makeover he had gotten from Mama, Kagome giggled at the blush on his cheeks.

This was the first time they had to just talk casually, and Inuyasha found it very easy to talk to Kagome. She had asked him about what it was like when he was sealed to the tree, and he said that she remembered more of that time than he did. He had only remembered the time she was close, she remembered the whole time whether she was close to him or not. "I remember smelling Kikyo's blood just as the arrow pierced my heart, the next thing I remember is when your parents brought you home for the very first time. I knew that things were different, nothing smelled the same and I couldn't even move my ears I was so wrapped up in those vines. It seemed like you learned to walk and talk in a matter of weeks, and your mother cried the first day you went to school. Then you had a brother, then lost your father. It all seemed to happen so fast."

"Hey, you have a brother too, don't you? I remember reading about him. He helped to defeat Naraku, and he took an orphaned girl in as his own daughter."

"Keh, I don't see that bastard doing anything to help anyone else."

"Don't, I mean didn't you and your brother get along?"

"I was worthless to him, he was full demon. I was nothing but a half-breed. Youkai didn't like me and neither did humans. I was all alone, until Kikyo... How much farther to this Museum of yours, anyway?"

"It isn't much farther. So about your parents, who was youkai and who was human?"

It had seemed so easy to talk to her, but now she wanted to know about his past and his family. He just couldn't bring himself to talk about it. There were no pleasant memories from his youth, the only two that had ever made him feel accepted had been killed, his mother trying to protect him and Kikyo by someone who had taken his form. He wasn't able to protect either of them, so maybe he was just a worthless half-breed.

"Inuyasha?"

"I don't want to talk about it!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up anything that might upset you. You don't have to tell me anything you don't feel comfortable telling me. I was just curious. Anyway, that is the museum." She pointed to a large building that was made entirely of stone. They walked up to the door and when they entered the building the scent of the past lightly floated on the air. The metallic and polluted smell seemed to not penetrate this building, and there were some small trees in the corners that allowed the smell of nature to mingle with the scent of old parchment and dust.

"The Sengoku Jidai exhibit is this way."

She took his hand and led the way. Her hand felt so warm, and so fragile in his. They went through a few doorways and up some steps, and she led him to a small case that contained some hand tools, cooking utensils, and a single urn. "This must be the urn that Grandpa was talking about, but it is in this case. How can you tell if it is Kikyo's ashes?"

He looked at the small urn, then got as close as he could to the seam at the edge of the case and took a deep breath. He felt a heaviness on his chest as he caught the scent of the ashes. They were indeed Kikyo's. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer to the priestess. _ 'I'm sorry I failed to protect you. I hope you found peace in the afterlife, and know that I was not the one responsible for spilling your blood. I would have tracked Naraku to the ends of the earth to avenge you.'_

A small warm hand was placed on his arm. "Inuyasha, are you OK?"

"Yeah. It..., your grandfather was right. A new shrine should have been built for her and this urn should have been placed inside. She was very strong and very brave, and she deserves to be remembered."

Suddenly warmth was surrounding him. He opened his eyes and just gently returned the hug that Kagome was offering to console him. He didn't know how else to react. It was a good idea to come here when there were no other people around. There had been a few in the first room they entered, but as they got further from the main door they had seen no one else. He knew that he was blushing from the heat on his face, and wanted to avoid any embarrassment. He looked at the urn, and gently turned Kagome to face it. "Can you see or feel anything coming from the urn? You should be able to sense the jewel if it is with the ashes. You should either sense it or see a pink glow."

"Nothing."

"So either someone has already gotten it or it was never in the urn to start with."

"So where else could it be?"

"It should have gone with Kikyo to the next world, that was her plan. I don't know how anyone would find it, so why is someone looking for it at the shrine? If that is indeed what they are looking for..."

"Hey, do any of these people look familiar to you? This painting shows the group that defeated Naraku. Their names are under the portrait. Look at that one, he looks so young! Shippo, that is such a cute name!"

_'Shippo, the detective? He's still alive?' _ The young kitsune in the painting had the same green eyes and the same reddish hair that the detective had after removing the charm from his ankle.

"I don't see your brother in here, though. Do you see him?" She gave him a quick glance and with a look of regret quickly added "I'm sorry! I know you said earlier that you didn't want to talk about your family, I had just forgotten for a second. You know, I have to be on my way to school. You can find your way back to the shrine on your own, can't you?"

"Yeah, I can follow our scent from the way here. It isn't that far anyway. How much farther do you have to go to school?"

"Just another block and a half, it will only take me a few minutes to get there." She turned to leave and he followed her. Once they left the building, she said to him that she would see him after school and started to walk away from the way they had come from the shrine. He did not want to let her out of his sight, and decided to walk with her.

"I can make it back to the shrine after I walk with you the rest of the way."

She smiled slightly and seemed to enjoy his company. He just then remembered the car he was supposed to point out to her on the way to the museum. She had brought up his family and he had gotten angry with her, and had forgotten the car. "Hey, I forgot. Last night while I was walking, I had followed that stranger's scent to a car that I was going to show you on the way to the museum. It was on one of the other roads, so we didn't pass it."

"Well, I can't go to look at it now. How about after school?"

"Sure. What time do you finish?"

"Just ask Mama to let you know, she will tell you when to leave the shrine and meet me here. You won't get lost on your way back here, right?"

"No, I would still be able to follow your scent. If it was going to rain I might lose the trail, but there is no rain coming."

"OK, well I'm here. See you later!"

She ran to the door of another large building, and she had been right. All of the other girls that were heading for the door were wearing that same short, green kimono.


	12. Chapter 12

Inuyasha did not want to let her out of his sight, the last attack had been on a school. When she got to the door, he seen her turn around and wave to him then three other girls ran up to her and the four of them disappeared. There were more and more people walking around and it made him feel very uncomfortable. He caught a few of the girls he passed looking at him and smiling, some he heard mention "I wonder where he's from, did you see those eyes?" and "If he needs a place to stay, he can come stay with me..." He headed back to the shrine, but this time he took off the sandals and ran. When he got there, Souta was standing by the door of the well house with a bowl.

"Hey kid. Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"Yeah. But I think Buyo is in there, and he won't come out. I have food for him."

"I'll get him, kid."

Inuyasha slid the door open and looked into the dark hut. He could smell the cat, he was definitely in there. "Come on out, ya fleabag." He walked down the steps that led to the well, and heard a scratching sound. He sniffed, and smelled the cat again but what was that other scent? He got closer to the well and took a deep breath. There it was again, it smelled like a centipede youkai and was coming from the well along with the smell of bones. He had noticed nothing like it when he had been down here hiding the night before. There was an ofuda on the well to block evil, he wondered just how effective it was and why it was placed there in the first place. He took another breath, but the youkai smell had faded. He could still smell the cat, and just then he felt something rub against his leg. There was Buyo. He picked the cat up and returned him to the boy and his food bowl, he then made sure the door to the old well was shut tight.

Inuyasha found Mama and Grandpa watching the box they called the TV. He told them that he wanted to make sure Kagome made it home from school safely after the attack during her birthday party. Mama told him that Kagome was only going to be home long enough to change from her school uniform tonight, then she was going to go out with her friends because her birthday was actually today.

"I will let you know when to go meet her there, though. It won't be until later this afternoon. Why don't you help Grandpa in the storage shed until then? He has been planning on cleaning it out for months now, and some of that stuff is heavy."

"Sure. Let me know when you are ready, old man." This did not seem to make Grandpa very happy.

After a few hours in the storage shed, Mama had called them in for lunch. The food was delicious, but Inuyasha was still a little hungry. "Hey, have you got any more of that ramen?" Mama just laughed and got a bowl out of the cupboard. He ate another one, as well. "Well, you sure have an appetite, don't you? Were all youkai this hungry?"

"I don't know, I didn't spend much time with them. Some of them only seemed to eat humans, though."

"Oh my!"

"Like I said, I didn't spend much time with them. I didn't spend much time with humans, either. Mostly I just ate whatever game I could catch. The last time I ate any regular human food was before my mother died."

"Oh, you poor thing!" Suddenly he was in Mama's arms, he could smell her tears. He felt the heat spread through his face. "You don't have to worry anymore, dear. I won't let you go without a decent meal, you don't have to hunt game here. And when I go shopping I will make sure to stock up on ramen, just for you. How old were you when you lost your mother?"

_'Why do these people always want to talk about the past?'_

"It was a long time ago, even a long time before I was sealed to the tree. It made me grow up tough, because I had to take care of myself. It was because she was my mother that she was killed, so I would rather not talk about it. How much longer until Kagome gets out of school?"

At first Mama didn't seem ready to drop the subject, but finally she wiped her eyes and smiled. "Still a couple of hours, what do you say we go find you some more clothes? We can stop at a few stores and then you can help me carry some groceries."

"Umm, sure. I guess."

They had stopped at three stores, and Inuyasha now had a wardrobe that consisted of "boxers", "jeans", a "hoodie", and some more t-shirts like the one he was already wearing, just different colors. He had needed help with the jeans, they had something called a "zipper". Mama had shown him some sneakers and tried to talk him into some socks as well, but he refused. Not that she wasn't persistent about it, though. He still managed to keep the "flip-flops" that she had given him at the house. Then he followed her to a market and she bought food, he was very happy to see all of the ramen they had on the shelves. She let him pick out different flavors and promised to show him how to make it. When the shopping was done, they headed back to the shrine.

"We are just in time for you to walk to the school to get Kagome, she gets out in about twenty minutes. You remember the way, right dear?"

"Yeah, thanks" as he was helping her put away the last of the food.

He got there a little early, no one was coming out yet. There was the sound of a bell and then there was a flood of people, all dressed the same way: the girls were wearing a uniform like Kagome's, and the boys were all wearing the same long sleeve shirts and pants. There were so many different scents here, he couldn't tell if Kagome was coming or not. Finally he caught her scent faintly and walked towards it. There she was coming down the steps with the same three girls that she had entered the school with earlier.

"I just need to get home and change, then I will meet you at the park. OK?"

"Sure, meet you in no more than a half an hour. Don't be late!"  
"I won't! Umph!"

Inuyasha had apparently gotten too close and Kagome was not paying attention. When she turned around to leave her conversation and run home, she ran right into him. He had just noticed that she was coming straight for him even though she was still looking behind her, and when she started to sprint just as she was turning around he held his arms out to stop her from hurting herself.

"Inuyasha? What are you doing here?"

"You told me to meet you after school and show you that car, didn't you? Why don't you watch where you're going?"

"Why did you just stand there knowing that I was coming right at you? You could have moved!"

"Yeah, but it was more fun this way." He couldn't keep the smirk off his face, and he was sure she noticed it. He was also sure that she noticed the feel of his body, there wasn't much to disguise it in these modern clothes, because when she realized her hands were on his chest she blushed a deep red.

"Well, um, where was that car anyway?"

"Are you sure you have time to look at it with me? You don't have long before you have to meet your friends."

"Yeah, I had forgot that I had to meet them after school. I still want to see the car, though. I don't think they will be too mad if I am a little late."

"Why don't you hop on? I can have you there, then home in no time. I can even give you a lift to the park if you want to make sure you make it in time."

"Huh? You mean on your back again? I'm not injured this time, I don't even really have a bump after you licked it to stop the blood. Not one person noticed it today. I can walk, really."

"Yeah, but if you keep standing around you are going to be late meeting your friends even if we don't stop and look at the car."

With a low growl of annoyance, she got on his back. They had gotten to the car in no time, and since she didn't seem to recognize the car as one that might have been hanging around the shrine or even passing her on the way to school, there was no point staying there. She returned to his back and they were up the steps of the shrine in no time. She greeted her mother and ran to her room. She came downstairs a few moments later dressed in pants and a light sweater. He liked it much better than the uniform she had to wear to school, she was at least covered adequately.

"I have to go Mama, I won't be out too late. I am having dinner with my friends, so you don't have to save me anything."

"OK, have fun dear."

She ran out the door, and Inuyasha got the same uneasy feeling he got just about every time she left his sight. He tried to watch TV with Grandpa and Souta until Mama said it was time to eat. They had dinner and Souta kept asking him all sorts of questions, like how many fights he had been in and how many monsters he had killed. He wanted to know where Inuyasha lived, and how old he was. He wanted to know how he became friends with Kikyo if she was a priestess, because the history books from school and all the old legends said that priestesses (or mikos, as they were called in some of the text books) were supposed to defend villages from youkai and mono no ke, as well as other dangers like disease and health issues like battle wounds. It did seem to be everyone in the family that just felt the need to know everything about him. Even Grandpa had some questions, but nothing too elaborate. Inuyasha tried to keep his mouth full, and just mumbled out some unintelligible answers every now and then.


	13. Chapter 13

When dinner was over and he had no other excuses to not answer their questions, he turned to Mama and said "I think I am going to go for a walk." She nodded with a small sympathetic smile.

"Just don't be out too late dear, it has been getting colder at night."

As he was leaving he heard Mama tell them to not ask so many questions, that he would talk about the past when he was ready to. He walked for a while with his head down, not really caring where he would end up. There was so much that he had to think about, but he wasn't sure what most of it was supposed to be. He had missed so much while he was sealed, how would he know if he had missed anything important? The question remained what had happened to all the youkai? They obviously still existed, but why did they hide? How many were still here? It seemed very unlikely that humans would overpower youkai and drive them into hiding, but then again look at all that had changed since he last walked this ground. There were machines and energies that he didn't understand, and it seemed that humans had built it all. Could they have overpowered youkai with their "technology"?

He had walked for awhile without paying attention to where he was going when he suddenly heard Kagome laugh. Was he following her scent without realizing it? She laughed again, and it sounded like a nervous laugh. Her scent also seemed like she was not as happy as she should be on her birthday. He decided to stay far enough away so she wouldn't notice him but he could still keep an eye on her. She was coming out of a building that said "theater" on the front, and she was accompanied by the same three girls from school. They had all changed from their uniforms. There was a boy with them as well. All the girls were talking and he just followed them, but it seemed like he was with them. When they had made it to a place that smelled like many different types of food were being prepared inside, he followed them in there as well. He even stepped ahead and held the door for them.

There was a tree across the street from this place, so Inuyasha made sure no one was looking and jumped into one of the branches, and he had to go back for one of his shoes that fell off. From the view he got in the tree through the window, the other three girls were trying to get Kagome to talk to this boy. It seemed that this was what made her unhappy. She smiled to him and acted as polite as possible, but she obviously did not want to be pushed on him. He didn't seem to pick up on her mood, or he just didn't care. They finished their meal, and all got up to leave. Inuyasha had heard Kagome as they were leaving say that it was getting late and she should be getting home, then the boy said that he would walk with her. The other three girls seemed thrilled at this, and walked in the opposite direction telling Kagome that they would see her at school. As they walked away the other girls kept peeking back at the couple and giggling. Kagome was the only one that looked unhappy.

Inuyasha silently jumped from the branch of the tree and walked around another block, hoping to meet the couple on the way around. He walked slowly and with his head down, and waited for Kagome's scent. Just as he caught it he had heard her talking. This was the Hojo that she had mentioned while sitting under the Sacred Tree. The one that seemed so interested in her but she could see him as nothing but a friend. It appeared that her friends agreed with him, and even though Kagome had told them time after time that she did not want to be more than friends with him they were still trying to set her up on dates with him at every opportunity. It seemed Inuyasha could give her a present for her birthday after all.

"Inuyasha?"

"Hey Kagome, didn't expect to see you out here. Are you enjoying your birthday?"

"Yeah, I went to the movies and then to dinner with some friends from school."

"Aren't you going to introduce me to the friend that you are still walking with?"

"Oh, yeah. Inuyasha, this is Hojo. Hojo, Inuyasha."

"Pleasure to meet you, Inuyasha. Isn't that the name of the hanyou in the legend of the Sacred Tree?"

"Yeah, I lived by the shrine. The legend of Inuyasha was a big deal in my family, Father picked the name for me."

"That is interesting, I have never seen you at school."

"Uhhh..."

"Yeah, that is because he goes to a private school. His father is away a lot. I practically grew up with Inuyasha, though." _ 'Nice save, Kagome' _

"Oh, I see. Well, would you care to walk with us Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I should be getting home soon anyway. Oh, Kagome, I do have to stop and talk to your mother."

"I will walk you up the steps when we get there, then."

She looked happier now than she had all through dinner. Hojo was still following along, not really participating in the conversation that was going on between Kagome and Inuyasha just like he had not been when the three girls were with them. It was about a block later that Hojo spoke up.  
"Higurashi, since you already have someone to accompany you home, I am just going to go on home myself. Happy birthday, and I will see you at school."

"Oh, OK. Thanks Hojo, see you at school."

She looked even happier, and relieved. Inuyasha couldn't help the smirk that appeared when Hojo walked away. They walked in silence for a little while, just enjoying the evening.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"I don't know why my friends keep trying to set me up with him, but I just-"

"Don't see him as anything more than a friend. You told me when I was still sealed to the tree, I recognized the name."

"Oh... So what are you doing? A little too early for you to be sleeping in a tree, was my family asking you tons of questions? I noticed you don't like that."

"How did you guess?"

"Well, they are my family. And I know I have tons of questions, but I won't ask. You have a lot to deal with, I don't want to make it worse."

"So did your friends give you presents, too? Or was the 'movie' and the meal your present?"

"The gave me gifts as well. Nothing big, though. Hojo gave me something to feed to Buyo because I had mentioned one time that he was a fat cat. This is supposed to help him lose weight. Last year he gave me something that was supposed to help with acne, because I had come to school the day before with one huge pimple. I got a bracelet, a new pen that lights up, and an address book as well."

"I guess I am giving you my gift right now, a peaceful walk home. Unless you would rather get there quicker?"

"Actually," a small but mischievous smile came to her lips, "I think I would like a long run. Only if you don't mind, I just like the feel of the wind when you are running and it, well, your hair tickles my nose a little. But I like it when you run fast."

"Hop on, then."

As soon as they made sure no one was looking and she was on his back and holding on, Inuyasha removed the flip-flops and took off with a great leap. He leaped to the roof of one of the nearby buildings and decided to show the city to Kagome in a way she would have never seen it before. They went from rooftop to rooftop, and her scent indicated that she was nervous at first. After the shock wore off from the first few leaps, her scent lost the nervousness and he could tell that she was happy and had a little adrenaline flowing in her veins. They had circled the city in record time and were now heading back to the shrine. He left the rooftops near the park where she met her friends, and they walked the rest of the way from there. At the top of the shrine steps she stopped, not seeming to want her time with him to end. This made him happy, but also a little nervous. He wrapped his arms around her lightly in a gentle hug.

"Happy Birthday, Kagome."

"Thanks Inuyasha, I know it didn't start off the best but this turned out to be a pretty good birthday."

They let each other go and he opened the door for her. Mama, Souta and Grandpa were a little surprised to see them get home at the same time, but they kept their questions to themselves.


	14. Chapter 14

Inuyasha walked with Kagome and Souta to school. Mama had fixed his hair again to cover his ears, and he was wearing the hat just in case. Souta was walking right beside Inuyasha, and kept trying to match his strides. Kagome tried to hide a small smile when she noticed her brother trying to act like Inuyasha, but she didn't hide it well.

"Hey, kid. Why didn't you walk to school the same time as Kagome yesterday?"

"You guys left too early."

"Yeah, but after she was at school, you were still at the shrine when I got back there."

"Well, the stupid cat wouldn't come and get his food. I ran and made it just as the bell rang, though."

"If you knew you were going to be late, I could have helped you get there faster."

"I didn't think about it, that old well makes me nervous and getting to school wasn't as important at the time as just getting away from the well."

"What is up with that well, anyway? When I went in to get the cat I thought for a moment that there was a youkai nearby. It faded soon after I caught the scent though."

Kagome suddenly spoke up. "We aren't allowed near the well, I was surprised when Grandpa suggested to hide you in there. The legend says that well used to devour the bodies of youkai when they were thrown into it. That is why they call it the 'Bone Eater's Well'. It has always made me a little nervous, even walking by the well house. I never want to be that close to the well ever again. I don't know how you could have stayed down there that long, I would have been running out screaming even if I was hiding from the police."  
"Keh, I ain't scared of no well. It is odd, though. I remember Kikyo telling me about it. They never knew what happened to the youkai corpses that they threw into it. It was like they were taken somewhere else by morning. Kikyo once said that with the bones that were sometimes still at the bottom of the well it was almost like overnight they had decayed and aged by at least a few centuries. She thought maybe time flowed through the well like the water that was supposed to be there but wasn't. I think maybe she was a little crazy."

"Hey, Inuyasha, why do Kagome and I have to go to school and you don't?"

"Why would I go to school?"

"To get an education, they teach you a lot at school. Sometimes it is even fun."

"I know all I need to know, I don't need to go to school."

"Kagome, ask him about something you have learned recently. I am in a lower grade, and he seems to be more your age."

"Umm, OK. Inuyasha, what is the square root of pi?"

"Huh?"

Souta smile triumphantly, "See? You do need to go to school!"

"No I don't. I think I am going to walk around a bit, you guys can make it to school on your own."

Before he had a chance to get away, "Kagome!"

"Who is your friend?"

"We've never seen you around before, are you new at school?"

"How long have you known each other?"

"Didn't it go well with Hojo?"

"Look at those eyes!"

"What an interesting hair color!"

"Do you live around here?"

"Kagome, how come you never told us about _him_?"

"Are the two of you a couple?"

Kagome's face was instantly red when her three friends started asking questions about Inuyasha. Souta placed a hand over his mouth to hide the giggling, and looked at Inuyasha to see what his reaction was like. Inuyasha assessed the situation, and thought that he could have some fun with this. He was sure Kagome would never tell him he would have to go to school ever again. He gave Souta a wink, then put his arm around Kagome and pulled her close to him.

"What? You never told your friends about me? I told my friends about you. Are you embarrassed by me, honey?"

"What?!?"

"Well, let me introduce myself, girls. My name is Inuyasha and I have known Kagome since she was a baby. I can't imagine why she wouldn't mention me to her friends, we are so close."

The three girls all shared a puzzled look (besides Kagome, who was completely bewildered and not sharing the state of mind with any one else), and at the same time said "Inuyasha? Isn't that-"

"The name of the hanyou in the legend of the tree? Yes, it is. As I told Hojo yesterday, the legend was a big deal in my family and my father picked the name for me."

The one with the shortest hair looked at the other two, then turned to Kagome and Inuyasha. "You, you talked to Hojo yesterday? Was it after the movie and dinner?"

"Yeah, I was out taking a walk and ran into Kagome and Hojo while they were heading back to the shrine. He seems nice, one of you three should ask him out. Souta, don't be late for school."

Inuyasha gave the boy another wink, and the kid was still trying to hide his giggling as he left the scene. Kagome still wasn't talking, just staring blankly. Inuyasha was starting to worry about her, but as soon as the bell rang her eyes widened and she shouted "Well, there's the bell! We have to get to class now!" Her face was still red, and Inuyasha could tell that she was hoping the other girls would run ahead so she could at least get a few words in, in private. Unfortunately for her, they stood right there waiting. Inuyasha couldn't pass on the opportunity and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "See you after school, bye girls!" The other three girls waved when all four turned to hurry into the school. Inuyasha could tell that Kagome was furious, he was suddenly glad that she hadn't had any of those subjugation beads that were reportedly used on Naraku during the final battle (according to the history book that Kagome had read to him). He had heard of them before, and knew that they were no fun for the demon wearing them.


	15. Chapter 15

Inuyasha walked around a little, before returning to the shrine when the stares and mumbles from the people on the street started getting to him. Some of the things that the women who passed him were saying to each other as they walked by made him blush. He figured he was better off helping the old man in the storage room, or Mama with housework. As long as he kept busy. He knew that as soon as Kagome got out of school he was going to get yelled at, a lot. He got to the shrine and the old man was getting a delivery of keychains. He helped put them in the storage shed, then he helped Mama move the refrigerator so she could give the kitchen a thorough mopping. He carried a few baskets of laundry, then ran out of things to do. He was sitting in the Sacred Tree when it was time for Kagome to get out of school. He wondered if it would be better to meet her at school and keep the attention of her friends at a high level, or let her walk home alone and think about what to say to him about his earlier behavior. He decided that she had all day to think about what to say to him, might as well let her yell at him before she got home and in the presence of her family.

He waited at a safe distance from the school so he could tell when she left her friends. The problem was her friends wouldn't leave her. As the group got closer to where he was waiting, he decided he would just meet her at the bottom of the shrine steps. He had no problem making it there before her. He was sitting on the steps about ten minutes before he caught Kagome's scent and the sounds of a "teenaged girl" conversation, including some giggling and squealing. He also noticed that Kagome wasn't quite as mad when she saw him that he thought she would be. He stood as they noticed him, and greeted the girls cheerfully.

"Hey girls, how did school go?"

The one with the shortest hair spoke up first. "It went well, and you know we never introduced ourselves. This is Ayumi, this is Eri, and I'm Yuka. We are very happy to meet you, even though Kagome had never mentioned you. She filled us in, though, about it being a long distance relationship. She wouldn't tell us how long you two have been a couple or how long your visit will last, though. Actually, she wouldn't tell us much of anything. She's just really shy about her personal life, but I'm sure you know that."

"I sure do", Inuyasha answered with a smirk then winked at Kagome. OK, now she was mad. He could practically feel it. No, he could _actually_ feel it. Spiritual energy was snapping in the air around her. Of course she would have spiritual power, she was (at least he was pretty sure she was) Kikyo's reincarnation. Kikyo was a very powerful miko, and she was trained to use her spiritual power and keep it under control. Kagome probably had no idea how she was even able to break the seal and remove the arrow. Inuyasha made a mental note to be more careful of getting Kagome's temper riled. He would have to talk to Grandpa and see if they could work on Kagome's priestess training. They lived at a shrine after all, it shouldn't be too hard. If the evil soul of Onigumo had returned, they would need a strong priestess to defeat him. Inuyasha was brought out of his brainstorming by more questions from Kagome's friends.

"So, where are you from? I have never met anyone with golden eyes or hair that shines like silver, like yours does."

"I get my eyes and hair from my father, who I didn't really know that well. My mother was Japanese, and we moved around a lot." He tried to hide any hint of sadness in his voice so they wouldn't be compelled to stay on the subject of his parentage. Just to make sure, he was quick to get himself out of the spotlight. "So, Kagome, I was wondering if you would have time to walk with me after dinner. Unless you have a lot of homework, or other plans."

Yuka was again the one to speak up. "We actually have very little homework tonight, and I asked her earlier if she had any plans tonight and she told me that the only thing she had planned was to talk to you after school."

Inuyasha could tell by the look he was getting from Kagome that it wasn't going to be a talk that he would enjoy. The spiritual energy around her flared again, and he thought that maybe a quick escape was his best option at this point. "Well, uh, OK. So I will, um, talk to you after dinner then. See you later, girls!" And with that, he walked away quickly. As soon as he was out of sight, he ran. He didn't go too far from the shrine, but he thought that perhaps Kagome needed some time to cool off before their "talk".

He was just starting to head back to the shrine to sit in the tree and wait for Kagome, when he recognized the black car that Shippo drove. He walked toward the car and when he was almost to it the window opened. Shippo greeted him with a smile, and asked "Care to go for a ride?"

"Now isn't really a good time, I have to go talk to Kagome. She is already mad at me and I don't want to make it worse by making her wait."

"That's OK, I can just give you a ride to the shrine, then."

"Well, OK."

He got into the car. Once inside he thought of something. "Hey, do you know where Kagome would be able to get some miko training? She can be scary when she's mad and I don't think she has any idea what she might be capable of."

"I know just the place. We will get her there in due time. She is going to need to be in control if we are going to defeat the new Naraku. Until then, just try not to make her angry." Inuyasha did not miss the smile that appeared on the kitsune's lips. He seemed to be thinking of something entertaining.

"So I know it is only a short ride to the shrine, but can you give me a hint about why you wanted me to go for a ride with you?"

"I just want to see how things are going with you and the young priestess. And now that you have spent some time at the shrine, have you noticed anything unusual with your demon senses? We are still not able to track the random spikes of power that appear."

"Not really. One time when I was close to the old, dry well I could have sworn that I detected a youkai nearby. It faded almost just as quickly as it appeared, though, and I was almost certain it was coming from inside the well. I haven't sensed anything other than that. Well, at least not until I p*ssed Kagome off..."

"What exactly did Kagome do to make you so nervous?"

"I was embarrassing her in front of her friends, and when I pushed it a little too far her spiritual power started radiating from her. It was like it was charging the air around her, and it tingled on my skin. It wasn't painful, but definitely not pleasant. I had seen Kikyo mad before, but I have never felt anything like that. But Kikyo knew how to control her power. Kagome probably doesn't even realize she has any. I would doubt that she even remembers how she broke Kikyo's seal."

"Hmm, that is very interesting. I will see how soon we can get her in for some training, but to be on the safe side you had better apologize. And like I said, try not to make her mad. Here you are. Do you know when would be a good time for that ride? We have plenty to talk about."

"I was going to walk Kagome and Souta to school tomorrow, but I guess it depends on how the talk goes with her tonight. Can you meet me after they get to school? If I walk with them I will meet you after. If I don't walk with them, I will leave here when they do and meet you."

"Good, meet me at the park where Kagome met her friends."

"How do you know where-"

"Looks like she is looking for you, better patch things up!"

Inuyasha looked up and Kagome was looking out her bedroom window. She had noticed the car and looked like she was going to come outside, so Inuyasha left the car quickly and jumped to her window. She was just turning from the window when he appeared on the other side. She slid the window open to let him in.

"Who was that? It looks like the same car that those detectives were in."

"That is one of the detectives, we ran into each other when I had found that car with the stranger's scent on it. He wanted to know if anything had happened since then."  
"Inuyasha! That was the night you spent outside! You have to be careful no one sees you without a disguise! Make sure you are wearing that hat from now on whenever you leave the house, OK?"

"I will, but there is no point hiding my ears from him. He would know just by my scent that I am a hanyou."  
"What?"

"He's a kitsune. Apparently there are still some youkai around."

"Really? So what did you talk about? Has he found out anything about why the burglar came to the shrine or what he was looking for?"  
"He didn't mention anything, but I do have to meet him tomorrow after you and Souta go to school."

"Oh." At the mention of school, Kagome's face changed from a curious look to one of anger. "About school, Inuyasha! How could you act like that in front of my friends? I had no idea what to tell them after you left and they asked me about you all day!"

"Yeah, Kagome, I'm sorry. It was only because you and Souta were telling me that I should go to school. I saw the opportunity to show you how awkward it would be to have me there all day, every day. I admit I took it a little too far."

"A little? You had them asking me if we were going to get married! They were upset that I didn't like them enough to tell them about my "hot, sexy boyfriend" and they called me selfish to try to keep you to myself and away from every one else! How could you lie to them like that?"

"Hey, I didn't lie. Everything I said was true. I have known you since you were a baby The only friends I have are you and your family and I have talked to all of you about you, your well-being at least. I am closer to you than I am to the rest of your family, it was your presence that I was aware of while sealed to the tree and no one else. I must say, however, that pulling you close and the kiss on the cheek were way over the top, so I am sorry I got carried away."

Kagome's face was now red with embarrassment rather than anger, and she looked at the floor. She also seemed, maybe, just a little flattered. "Well, I guess I accept your apology."

"That's a relief, you are pretty scary when you are angry."

"Why would I be scary?"

"You have no idea how your aura flared when you were mad. You had spiritual energy radiating from your whole body and it was tingling my skin. I was ready to run as fast as I could if it started to get any worse. I thought for sure you were going to try to purify my youkai blood."

Kagome looked puzzled. She was silent for a moment, then patted the bed signaling Inuyasha to take a seat. He slowly walked to the bed, afraid to really get too close to her if there was a chance she was still mad. He sat down and she scooted a little closer to him. She placed her hand on his arm, and looked into his eyes.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

"How can I help stop this reincarnation of Onigumo, or Naraku, who ever he is? I have no idea where to even start. If I am the reincarnation of Kikyo, I think I should learn everything that she knew. I would ask Grandpa, but I don't think he knows much about spiritual power. He makes some fancy paper things that are suppose to keep evil away or whatever, but I don't think he can help me and I have no idea where to turn. If this guy is attacking innocent people looking for something that doesn't even exist any more, he needs to be stopped as soon as possible. I can't help but think, because we were both reincarnated at the same time, that it is my purpose in life to help stop him."

Inuyasha looked at the girl, recognizing how brave she was. She had shown it on the night the burglar attacked as well. The way the dim light was reflecting on her face, he could see a resemblance of Kikyo in Kagome's face. He looked into her eyes, and seen the same sparkle in them that he had seen in Kikyo's. Kagome's held something else as well, though, and he just couldn't describe it. He noticed that her face got red, and realized that he was staring at her. He looked away, and thought about what Shippo had told him.

"When I was talking to that detective, he said his name was Shippo-"

"Like the kitsune in the painting at the museum?"

"Yeah, same eyes and hair, too, but this guy is an adult. He told me that he knows of the perfect place for you to train, so you would be in complete control of your spiritual power. The way he was talking about it, you might not get there right away. I will try to find out more when I meet him tomorrow. I wonder if he really is the same kitsune in that painting and how many other youkai still exist. He had somekind of charm around his ankle that made him look completely human."

"Well, just be careful when you go with him."

"Hey, I'm supposed to worry about you, remember?"

Kagome's face got just a touch of color at that comment, and Inuyasha found his hand going to her warm cheek on its own. It lightly caressed that cheek, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Then Inuyasha regained his senses and stood.  
"Well, I might just sleep on the couch tonight. It is more comfortable than the tree. I am glad we got a chance to talk, Kagome."

He quickly exited her room the same way he came in, then walked through the front door and asked Mama if she had any more ramen.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: I might take a while to update after this chapter. Besides being very busy and not having a lot of time to write, I need to brainstorm on where this story is going. I have a few plot ideas, but I have to think about how to word them and have them tie in to what is happening now and what originally happened. I am trying to get everything to happen in the modern era that happened in the feudal era, just have to figure out the best way to make it work._

Mama showed Inuyasha how to make ramen for himself, then she sat with him at the table while he was eating. She looked at him and definitely had something on her mind but seemed undecided on whether to bring it up or not. Inuyasha watched her a few times look like she was ready to speak, and then change her mind. He finished his ramen and pushed the empty bowl aside. He looked into her eyes and placed a clawed hand over her folded ones. "I can tell you want to say something, what is on your mind?"

"Oh, Inuyasha, I am just so worried." He could smell the tears that were just forming. "There was another attack on the news today, and I don't know if these attacks are related to the man who attacked us. The reports say that it seems like who over is behind the attacks is looking for something. I can't help but think that it is the same thing the burglar was looking for. Whoever is behind these attacks needs to be stopped, and I feel so helpless because I can't make sure my family is safe. What if someone comes again, the burglar didn't get to finish his search here? I am so worried when the kids go to school, because I can't be there to watch over them."

She was sobbing uncontrollably now. Inuyasha stood and walked over to her side of the table. He kneeled down beside her and put his arms around her. She turned towards him and wrapped her arms tightly around him and cried into his chest. He stroked her hair, and tried to calm her down the best he could. Emotions were not something that he let get to him, and he had no idea how to calm her any better. _'Maybe I should get Kagome, she would know what to do.'_ Mama took a deep breath and loosened her hold on the hanyou. She looked up at him and wiped her eyes, now looking embarrassed by her behavior.

"Thank you, Inuyasha, for everything. I am glad you are here."

"I'm glad I'm here too, I was going to be pinned to that tree forever."

"I feel safer with you here, I haven't felt safe since my husband..." She started to cry again, but quickly regained her composure. "I think it is bedtime, there is more ramen if you want to make more. There is a blanket and pillow on the couch for you, there is no reason for you to sleep outside. I will see you in the morning, dear." She patted his shoulder while she talked, then she made her way to her bedroom.

Inuyasha made himself another ramen, and sat at the table to eat. He couldn't help but wonder about the breakdown that Mama had just went through. Had the reality of the events of the other night finally sunk in? Inuyasha remembered the pain that he had seen in her eyes and made a vow to himself that he would do whatever he could to never see that pain in Mama's eyes again. He wondered what would happen tomorrow when he met Shippo. Did he have a specific destination in mind, or was it just a ride to give them time and privacy. The first time he had gotten in Shippo's car, Shippo had told him that he could introduce him to someone that Inuyasha may remember. It must be a youkai, no human would still be around after more than 500 years.

"Hey, Inuyasha, my homework is all done and I'm going to play video games. Do you wanna play?"

Inuyasha had been so lost in thought he hadn't sensed Souta's approach. "What are 'video games'?"

"You'll see. Come with me!" Souta grabbed Inuyasha's hand and led him into the living room. He told him to take a seat on the couch, and then went to the TV. He was doing something with another box (it seemed like there were many boxes in this area, for entertainment, information, making ramen...) that Inuyasha couldn't quite see. Souta then handed Inuyasha a "controller" and told him to get ready. After Souta had taken his time while playing to explain how to play to Inuyasha (who got beaten while he didn't know what to do), Inuyasha picked up how to play quickly and started beating the kid after a few tries. About an hour after they had started playing, and after getting beaten quite severely by Inuyasha, Souta was ready to give up and go to bed. That is when Inuyasha noticed Kagome watching from the doorway.

"Hey, Kagome, how long have you been there?"

"The last two games. It is good that Souta has someone else to play video games with, he never leaves me alone about them. He tries to get me to play when I have a lot of homework, and when he starts pouting about it I give in. Then I have to stay up later to get my homework done."

"Yeah, it took me a few tries to figure out how to use that controller thing. Once I figured it out it was pretty fun. I think I should have gone easy on the kid, though."

"Oh, please, you can be such a softy. He beats me like that all the time and not once feels the least bit bad about it."

"Hey! I am NOT a softy!"

"Sure, whatever you say. Do you know where Mama is?"

"Yeah, she went to bed a while ago." Then with a proud smirk and sense of accomplishment, "After she showed me how to make ramen for myself."

"Why would she go to bed so early? Do you think she is not feeling well?"

"I think, maybe, she is just a little... worried, I guess. With all the stuff on the news about attacks, and the burglar coming here, I guess there was another attack today. She mentioned something about not being sure if, because the burglar didn't find what he was looking for here, someone else may come to search again. She just wants her family to be safe."

Kagome was silent for a moment, obviously deep in thought. "When you talk to that detective tomorrow, you tell him I need to start training right away. If someone is going to come here and attack us again, I want to be ready to help. The last time I couldn't even help myself, let alone anyone else."

"I'll tell him, Kagome, but do you honestly think I would let anyone come here and hurt any of you? The last time I was still pinned to the tree when the guy came, but if someone else comes now I won't let them even get close to the house."

_'First Shippo acted like I was unable to protect Kagome, now Kagome seems to think that she has to protect her family instead of just leaving it to me. Why do they think I am so incompetent? Of course, I couldn't protect my mother, then I couldn't protect Kikyo either. But that is exactly why I won't fail to protect Kagome now. I will not fail again.'_

"Inuyasha? Are you OK?"

Inuyasha put a hand on each of Kagome's shoulders and made sure she looked him in the eye. "You have to promise me that you won't do anything reckless, Kagome. I know you want to help, and I think you are right that it is in your destiny to help defeat this guy. But you have to make sure you don't carelessly get yourself in over your head. Have you ever even been in a fight?"

"Uhhh, no, but I thi-"

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, OK? I know that you want to help and I am proud of your bravery, but promise me you won't purposely put yourself in danger. Kikyo had very strong spiritual power, but she rarely got close to the youkai that she defended the jewel from. She was a master archer, her attacks came from a distance. Do you think just anyone could have pinned me to that tree while I was running and they were fatally wounded?"

"No, I guess not. Inuyasha, how... how close were you and Kikyo?"

Inuyasha felt the heat rise in his cheeks. Hadn't he told her that he didn't want to talk about the past? He should have expected the question to come up, though. When Grandpa had told her the story, he had mentioned that they were friends. Did anyone know just how close he and Kikyo were? He didn't think that even Kaede knew. "Kikyo was the only one who accepted me for who I was. She could have killed me, I was after the jewel. But neither one of us fit in anywhere, and I think that is why we got along once we got to know each other. I was an outcast with both humans and youkai, and her purpose in life was to guard the jewel and therefore she was unable to live as a normal woman would."

"So, I guess my question should be 'Did you love her?'"

"Can we not talk about it?"

"You did, didn't you? And I think she must have loved you, too. Otherwise, she would have killed you with that arrow. But why would she want to change you? You are fine the way you are, Inuyasha."

"She wanted us both to live normal lives, that's all. The best way to do that would be to get rid of the jewel to take away her responsibility to guard it, and to get rid of my youkai blood. I am sure if she wanted to, she could have purified my youkai half, even if she had to keep doing it. But there would have still been her duty to protect the jewel. By using the jewel to turn me human, both problems would have been solved. Being a hanyou was never easy, and I could have seen myself living as a human with Kikyo."

"How do you know you would have been happy as a human? I am sure there are a lot of things you would no longer be able to do that you would miss. Like running as fast as you do, and leaping onto buildings. Your hearing would be different without your ears, and I'm sure your eyesight would be different as well. I know when we were trying to hide you from the police, I was stumbling all over in the dark but you seemed to see just as well as you do during the day."

"I do miss those things when I am human, but I would have at least had friends. I would have belonged..."  
"What do you mean, _when_ you are human? Did Kikyo purify your youkai half temporarily at some point?"

"I said I was sure she could have, not that she did. Can we please talk about something else?" Inuyasha felt bad for snapping at Kagome as soon as he could see the hurt look on her face. "Listen, my past holds a lot of painful memories. I just don't like talking about it. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"No, I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I know that you don't like talking about your past and that you are uncomfortable anwering questions. I shouldn't have pushed. I took it too far, so now we are even for what you did with my friends. What do you say?"

"Yeah, sure. I guess that's fair."

"Good, now I am going to get to bed. Do you have to go meet Shippo early or are you walking Souta and I to school?"

"I can walk with you, then meet him as soon as you two are safely at school." He smiled playfully, and Kagome blushed a little.

"OK, well, good night then Inuyasha."

"Good night, Kagome."

Inuyasha slept on the couch that night, even though Kagome was out of his sight he knew she was safely in her comfortable bed. He was there to watch over the entire family, after all, so the couch was a good spot to watch the door in case someone tried to get in.


	17. Chapter 17

Inuyasha awoke at sunrise, he unlocked the door and took a walk outside. He tried his best, but he just didn't feel comfortable with using the "toilet" in the house, so he walked around to find a good tree to relieve himself. When he went back into the house, Mama was just getting up. "Oh, you didn't sleep outside again, did you dear?"

"No, I just took a walk. I just got up from the couch a little while ago."

"OK. Would you like to help me with breakfast? The kids' alarms will be going off soon."

"Sure."

It wasn't long after that they heard the ringing of first Kagome's alarm and then Souta's. Just as they were finishing up and getting the food on the table, everyone came to get a seat. Grandpa was the last to sit down. Breakfast went quickly, no one had anything interesting to say. When it was time for Kagome and Souta to leave for school, Inuyasha put on his hat and left with them. Kagome asked Inuyasha about what he expected when he went with Shippo today.

"Do you think you are going to meet more youkai?"

"I don't know, he told me once that he would introduce me to someone I might remember. If I was sealed to the tree for over 500 years I think it is safe to say that it isn't going to be a human."  
"Who do you think it might be?" Kagome asked, but was interrupted by Souta.

"You talked to a real youkai? I didn't think there were any!"

"Yeah, he's a kitsune named Shippo. I think he might be the same one that helped to defeat Naraku, but I'm not sure."  
"Well, did you ask him?"

"No."

Kagome told Souta he had better hurry and get to class, and he dropped the subject and ran off waving at the hanyou over his shoulder. She smiled, and then turned to Inuyasha. "He really looks up to you, you know. I think it is good, since Dad isn't around for him. Grandpa isn't really a very exciting father figure."

"Keh," Inuyasha said simply with a slight blush.

"Well, there is school. I have to go, be careful with Shippo today and make sure if you are around humans to keep the hat on, OK?"

"I will, Kagome, don't worry about me. I told you, I'm supposed to worry about you, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. Are you going to be here when school ends to walk us home?"

"I hope so, but I'm not even sure where we are going. I hope I'm not away too long, I don't like being too far from you."

"Thanks, Inuyasha. I'll see you after school."

Just then there was the squeals from the other girls as they ran over to their friend and her "hot, sexy boyfriend", as they saw him. He could feel their eyes scanning over him, and as usual it made him very uncomfortable. He wanted to get away from them as soon as possible. "Hey girls! Well, Kagome, see you after school. I have to go."

"You aren't going to kiss her on the cheek, today? That was so precious!" Ayame asked with a dreamy look in her eye.

"Not today, you girls obviously don't need more to talk about. See you later, Kagome."

Inuyasha turned as soon as the last words were out and quickly walked away from the foursome. He headed right over to the park, and wasn't surprised to see the black car already waiting for him. He walked up to the car and without a word opened the passenger door and got in. Shippo greeted him with a mischievous smile, "So, I guess you and the miko made up, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess. I told her that I was meeting you today and she wanted me to ask you how soon she can start training. She said that she feels like it is her responsibility to help stop Onigumo's reincarnation and wants to learn everything she can. I think she is just being stupid, there is no reason she should be in a hurry to put herself in danger."

"Well, I guess we can see if we can hurry it up a little. Does she realize that to train that extensively she would be coming to train as soon as she gets out of school and getting home late at night, only to do the same the next day, and the next, until her training is complete. She is a teenage girl, there is no way she is going to want to give up all her time with friends and family."

"I don't think she thinks that far ahead..."

"Well, we'll see what can be done. For right now, though, are you ready for a long ride?"

"Ummm, I guess, but how long? Am I going to be back in time to walk Kagome and Souta home from school?"

"With some alternate travel arrangements, perhaps. Let me see what I can do."

Shippo pulled the lever and started the car moving as he had done before. Then he brought a small flat thing out of his pocket, and flipped the top part up. He pushed some numbers and held it in the same manner that Inuyasha had seen Mama hold the "phone" back at home. He waited for a few seconds then started talking.

"Can we use the chopper so we don't have such a long drive?"

Pause.

"Yeah, wants to walk them home from school."

Pause.

"We'll meet the pilot there. Any word on the miko's training?"

Pause.

"She wants to, apparently."

Pause.

"I agree, but it isn't going to be easy."

Pause.

"Okay, I'll fill you in when we get there."

Shippo flipped the "phone" closed and drove in silence, after taking a rather sharp turn at the next road. Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder what the missing part of the conversation was. What is a "chopper", a "pilot", and what wasn't going to be easy? Most importantly, who the hell was the person talking through the "phone"?

"Are you at least going to tell me where you're taking me? I'm still not sure I trust you, you know."

"I don't know if you would recognize the place, I'm not sure if you have ever even been there. Not while you were old enough to remember, at least. And it has changed over the years."

"What place?"

"You will see when you get there, we don't have much time to waste if we want to get to the chopper before it takes off. We are very lucky, it just dropped off a passenger not far from here. If we can go through things quickly and get the chopper to bring us back, you should be back just in time to meet Kagome and Souta."

As he finished talking, he made another turn. He only went a short distance sown the quiet street then stopped. There was an odd sound to the right that made Inuyasha a little uneasy. As they got out of the car and walked past the building they had parked in front of, they came upon a clearing that had a smooth surface just like the street. It reminded Inuyasha of what Kagome had told him was a "parking lot". Right in the center of the lot, however, was where the noise was coming from. It was metal, like a car, but was shaped more like a dragonfly. It almost sounded like one in flight, as well. There were large (the only thing he could think of to call them were "blades") spinning so quickly on top of this metal insect that it was nearly impossible to see what they were. He had seen Shippo walk towards it, so reluctantly he followed. Soon a door had opened on the side of the bug and Shippo motioned for Inuyasha to enter. He thought he had caught the scent of wolf, but it was very faint. Once he was inside, Shippo got in as well and closed the door. Soon the man who was sitting in the front was speaking, but his words didn't make much sense. Inuyasha barely heard the word "take-off", he was too nervous to listen. Not to mention the sound of the spinning blades was deafening, he wondered how Shippo could stand it with his youkai hearing. Soon they were coming up off the ground and moving forward, the ground getting farther and farther below them.

There was no point trying to talk in this thing, the noise was too distracting. He just stared out the window and watched as the world rolled by below them. It didn't seem like it was very long before they started to get closer to the ground again, though they were moving forward over the passing ground quickly. They met with the ground in a similar looking "parking lot", and as he was getting out of the metal insect Inuyasha studied his surroundings. The place didn't really look familiar, but he felt that it should. It was no doubt a palace, at least at one time. There were gardens and ponds, and a huge stone building that easily equaled at least ten of Kagome's houses.

"What is this place? I feel like I should recognize it, but I don't."

Shippo gave him a small, sly smile. "You'll find out soon. Follow me, I have some introductions to make."

_**A/N: Just for the record, I have never been in any type of air transport. I have no idea what it is like to be in a helicopter, plane, even a hot-air balloon or hang glider. Please don't be too critical if I am not even close to what the actual experience is like.**_


	18. Chapter 18

Inuyasha quietly followed Shippo, who instead of walking to the main building headed for one of the smaller garden buildings. As they got closer to the building, Inuyasha was sure they were getting close to a youkai even though it wasn't a large presence. When they entered the small building Shippo stopped and asked, though no one was apparently in the room, "You wanted to see our guest as soon as he arrived, correct?"

"Ah, yes, such a pleasure to see you again Master Inuyasha! I was beginning to lose hope of ever talking to you again, though I made sure to visit you at least once a year after the first century of your sleep."

Inuyasha was trying to find the owner of the voice when he felt a bite, it didn't take him long to put it together and realize who the owner of the somewhat familiar voice was. "Myoga? I wouldn't have expected to see you, since I have been asleep for over 500 years. You were really old the last time I talked to you."

"Yes, well, though I am only a humble flea youkai, youkai I am nonetheless. We are blessed with longevity. Though I rarely leave the palace anymore."

"Where are we? I could tell it was a palace, but I feel like I should know this place."

"Ah, yes, you were very young. This is the palace of the Lord of the Western Lands, though modern society has made the title obsolete. This was the home of your father, and where he had lived with your mother until his death on the day of your birth. It is your family estate."

"So this is where that b*stard Sesshomaru lived. I wonder where he is now."

"Right behind you, little brother. You can take the hat off, you will not need it here."

Inuyasha would have recognized that emotionless tone anywhere. He slowly turned and was surprised to see that his older brother still looked practically identical as Inuyasha's last memory of him. The only difference was instead of his trademark armor, he was wearing a modern business suit (white, of course).

"What, did you bring me here so you could finish me off?"

"No, Inuyasha, my goal is not to kill you. Although there was a time I would not have passed on the opportunity."

"So then why am I here?"

"You are here because we have a common goal. The stranger that attacked your miko and her family was looking for something. We believe it is the Shikon Jewel. I personally interviewed the attacker, and he refused to divulge any useful information. It is only a matter of time before we get him to talk, we can be very persuasive. I was at first unsure how he was able to resist our methods, but his will is not his own. It is reminiscent of Naraku's control over his minions."

"But the jewel is gone, Kagome and I checked the urn at the museum that contains Kikyo's ashes. It isn't there. I'm sure Kagome would be able to sense the jewel, but so far she hasn't sensed anything. Grandpa said that when they found the urn he tried to get them to return it to the shrine, so Kikyo could be properly honored. They threatened him and told him not to mention the urn or its possible contents to anyone. Do you think those people could have taken it out of the urn?"

"The jewel was not in the urn when it was uncovered. The reason he was told to tell no one was a matter of his own safety. Do you truly believe your miko is Kikyo reincarnated?"

"I can't explain how I am here any other way."

"Then perhaps she guards the jewel."  
"Then wouldn't she know about it? Like I said, she can't even sense it."

"And can you sense father's grave?"

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha was getting even more tense, he thought to himself that he should have never trusted Shippo in the first place. He knew that Sesshomaru had always wanted him dead, he had no reason to believe that desire had gone away. There was no way that his full-youkai brother would ever approve of his existence.

Sesshomaru calmly walked to a bench just outside the garden building and sat down. "After his death, Father's Fang was placed in his grave and the grave was hidden. It was hidden to keep anyone but the intended owner of the great sword Tetsusaiga from claiming it. I had searched for the grave for centuries. I was left Father's other Fang, Tensaiga. One sword was given the power to cut down 100 youkai in one swing, the other the power to revive the fallen. I had always held a deep disappointment in the fact that I would receive a sword that was not made to cut. I had no one to revive. I have learned, however, that you are truly the one meant to wield the Tetsusaiga. I have accepted this and am willing to help you obtain it. You must take your miko with you, so make the proper arrangements and notify Shippo when you are prepared."

"What does that have to do with me sensing his grave?"

"You are the grave's protector, even though you knew not of its existence. Do you not think there is a possibility that the same applies to your miko and the Sacred Jewel?"

"I don't know what you are talking about, I don't protect any grave, and why do you keep calling Kagome 'my miko'?"

"Explanations will come in due time, Inuyasha. If I am not mistaken you are eager to return to 'your miko', so we have a short time to concentrate on trivial matters today. Follow me to the palace, and I will fill you in on some important events that you have missed. There are others you must meet. There are other youkai still in existence, and they are vengeful. The youkai that you meet in this palace are the only ones to be trusted."

"Keh," Inuyasha followed Sesshomaru into the palace, with a scowl on his face. He was sure that since so much time has passed he would be spared meeting his better-than-everyone-else brother. They walked through halls that were lined with portraits. Inuyasha was captivated by one in particular, and he hadn't realized that he had stopped walking. It was Sesshomaru's voice that brought him back to reality. "Do you recognize our father?"

"I always wondered what he was like, I wish I had known him."

"He was very proud of you, though I didn't know why."

"What's that supposed to mean?!?"

"Hurry, Inuyasha, or you will not make it back to your miko on time."

"Keh."

At the other end of the hall, there was another portrait that caught Inuyasha's eye. He looked at it and asked, "Hey, who are they?" Sesshomaru continued on but Shippo answered from behind the hanyou.

"That is Kohaku and Rin. Rin was a human girl that Lord Sesshomaru had spared from death with the Tensaiga. It was the first time he had used the sword."

"And why did he do that? I thought he didn't like humans and couldn't imagine him taking pity on one."

"That is his story to tell, if he wants to tell it. Rin is a tender subject for him. Hurry, before he gets too far ahead. We need to get through as much today as we can before we get you back."

"Yeah, sure." Another portrait caught his attention but he kept walking. "Hey, this is the same portrait that is in the museum. I meant to ask, are you the same kitsune from the portrait? Your name is the same."

"Yeah, that's me. It was a long time ago."

They continued on in silence, Inuyasha could tell that Shippo didn't want to talk about the past any more than he wanted to himself. They eventually came to a large metal door, and when the door opened there was an earthy smell, like damp soil and stale air. The door led nowhere, or so it seemed. It looked like a very small room, the walls were made of the same metal as the door. They all entered the small room and Inuyasha turned around like he had seen Sesshomaru and Shippo do, to face the door. When Shippo closed the door, a gate came down in front of it and a few seconds later it seemed as if the floor was moving. No, not the floor, the whole room. Through the gate he watched first the door disappear then watched the stone and dirt wall pass by rather quickly. It made him more uneasy than either the car or the metal insect had.

Sesshomaru must have detected the change in his scent. "Calm down, Inuyasha, it is only an elevator. I am sure you have noticed that humans have created many machines. Some of them youkai have no use for, others we find useful. Human's, with the help of their machines, have become quite powerful. They make weapons that are dangerous even to the mightiest youkai, therefore we hide who we are. Not all humans are as accepting as your miko and her family."

Inuyasha was just about to ask again why Sesshomaru insisted on labelling Kagome as _his_ miko when the room stopped its descent. The gate went up, allowing escape from the small space. The three walked forward into an open cavern. There were boxes, like the TV in Kagome's house but smaller, along one wall. They seemed to be displaying the outside of the palace, Inuyasha could see the metal insect that brought him here in one and the garden building where he had seen Myoga and met Sesshomaru in the other.

Sesshomaru walked into a hall to the left of the "elevator" and Shippo followed. Inuyasha looked around the large cavern and then caught up with the two youkai. He could smell other youkai in this cavern, some were there and some had been there recently. They entered a room that looked as though it was carved from the stone rather than a natural cavern. Sesshomaru turned to Shippo. "Best to get him informed of our enemy, we can begin training tomorrow." He turned to Inuyasha, "I understand the young miko wishes to train right away?"

"That's what she said, but I don't see th-"

"Good, it is wise to get the training started soon. It is better to be prepared before the battle starts, rather than trying to prepare in the midst of one. Is she prepared to devote all spare time to her studies?"

"I haven't talked to her about how she is going to train and keep up with school, but she believes it must be her responsibility to do all she can to help."

"We can send the chopper to get her when school is done, and have her home a little after her normal bed time. She will have to get school work done during the flight. It would be an honor to meet this brave miko, see if she can start tomorrow."

Before Inuyasha could say anything on the subject, Sesshomaru left the room without another word. He was standing there, still trying to process all the events of the day, when he heard the voice of the flea youkai. He turned just as Myoga jumped from Shippo's shoulder to his own. "We have much to tell you, since you did not know the previous incarnation of Onigumo or Naraku. We are fairly certain that this reincarnation is still in the 'Onigumo' stage, and for all we know could stay that way. Onigumo was a human, so it seems safe to assume this new evil is human as well. We are unsure if he will be able to become a hanyou like Naraku. As you can see, even as a human he can do quite a lot. As Lord Sesshomaru said, humans now have weapons that we would not stand a chance against alone. As you may already know, all of the attacks credited to this person are apparently attempts to collect items of power."

Shippo had dimmed the lights in this cavern and used a small, flat stick like Kagome's TV "remote" to somehow get the images he had seen while Mama was watching the "news" to show on a flat space on the wall. He watched again the footage of the previous attacks. Myoga continued: "He has so far collected the ring from this school that legend says will grant the wearer with endless knowledge, he has collected from this private residence a sword that is said to give the wielder great success in battle, and from this small museum in northern Japan he acquired a scroll that is said to grant its reader with the ability to know their opponent's intentions. We don't know if he knows how to unlock and use these items, but if he does he will indeed be a difficult adversary."

"It would be very beneficial to have a strong priestess such as Kagome to help defeat him. I can see you are concerned for her safety, and I can assure you that not only will our allies guard her with their lives, but she will always be at your side for you to watch over her. The first step we must take is you must retrieve the great sword Tetsusaiga from your father's grave. This will most assuredly happen tomorrow while Kagome accompanies you, it is a journey you must take together. How much of the history of Naraku are you familiar with?"

Inuyasha told Myoga everything he had heard of Naraku, which was the same that every high school student that read the same text book that Kagome had read to him knew. Shippo retrieved the scrolls that the monk, Miroku, had written about the search for and defeat of Naraku. The battle had gone on for over a year, so it was a lot to read. Naraku was not only a shapeshifter, he had tried to absorb youkai and use their abilities. Without the power of the Shikon Jewel, he couldn't control powerful youkai so he had tried to ally himself with the strongest he came across in his travels. One of them had been Sesshomaru, who at first seemed to just ignore him. Then Naraku had tried to recruit a wolf youkai named Kouga.

"You should meet Kouga eventually, he is on a mission today. That is why we were lucky enough to get the chopper, it had just dropped him off." Shippo had informed Inuyasha when he noticed he was at that part of the scroll. _"That's why I smelled wolf in the 'chopper'..."_ Both Kouga and Sesshomaru had suspicions about Naraku from the start, and never trusted him. It was because he had killed Kikyo that he had not gotten the Shikon Jewel. So he did the same thing that this new evil person is doing now: collected whatever items he could to try to gain as much power as possible. After the slayers from the village that the jewel had originated in, the monk, and the younger sister of Kikyo had decided that they must put an end to Naraku's evil they pursued him relentlessly. In a desperate attempt to make Sesshomaru help him, Naraku had taken the human girl that traveled with the Inuyoukai lord. When this only enraged Sesshomaru, Naraku had tried to get Kouga to kill Sesshomaru by making it look like he was responsible for killing members of Kouga's tribe. As the final battle began, both youkai had helped the monk, priestess, and slayers defeat the evil hanyou. The youngest of the slayers, Kohaku, rescued the human girl, Rin. They grew close and later married. Kohaku's sister Sango and the monk, Miroku were married shortly after the defeat of Naraku.

The reading had taken a few hours, but he had gotten a little insight about what this person might be like. He cared not who he used or who got hurt, and it seemed the more people got hurt the better. He looked at Shippo, Myoga had left the room while Inuyasha was still reading the scrolls. "So because he doesn't have the jewel, he is doing this all over again. It is the same as before. But what did he want from the shrine if the jewel is gone?"

"Well, Lord Sesshomaru has a theory, but we are not sure how plausible it is. Remember the surges of power I was telling you about? From what we could tell they happened all in places where Kagome was. Only twice had it been at the shrine, the night your seal was broken was the second. The first was the day her father died."

"So Kagome is the source of the power? She has that much spiritual energy?"

"Lord Sesshomaru thinks that if she truly is Kikyo's reincarnation, she might hold the jewel."

"But she said that she knows nothing about it."

"Yeah, but what if she holds it within, where even she can't sense it?"

"What are you talking about? She holds the power of the jewel in her body, even though the jewel is gone?"

"Not sure, but we hope that no one else has put the energy source and Kagome's presence together. That is why getting her trained seems like a good plan. I think it is about time for us to go, Kouga needs the chopper soon and we need to get you back."

Inuyasha was not thrilled with getting back in the "chopper", he could easily imagine getting too close to those spinning blades and "chopper" was sounding extremely appropriate. On the flight back to where Shippo had left the car, Inuyasha felt a familiar bite and noticed that Myoga had joined them. He asked the flea youkai about Sesshomaru's theory. The flea seemed to agree with the logic of that theory and told Inuyasha not to worry about Kagome. "The burglar didn't seem interested in her while he was searching for whatever he was after, correct?"

"No, I guess not."

"Then he doesn't have the same theory if he was looking for the jewel. I would say she is safe, and once she gets trained she will be in no danger from any humans. There are some youkai working for this new Naraku, but none are very loyal. You know how efficient Kikyo was at defeating youkai, and if Kagome has the power of the jewel as well as the power Kikyo had I am sure she will be able to handle just about anything. As I said, she will not only have all of us at the palace watching over her, but you will always be at her side as well."

"So how hard is her training going to be? She has to keep up with school as well, it is very important to her."

"The training will be strict and quite strenuous but I am sure Lord Sesshomaru will not allow her to be pushed too far. Would you mind introducing Shippo and I to her today? We should just make it to her school when she gets out, and we could give you, Kagome, and her brother a ride to the shrine. It is Souta, isn't it?"

"Yeah, sure I guess. It's really up to them, though."

It wasn't long before the chopper was landing in the same lot, and Inuyasha replaced his hat before they went silently to the car. As Myoga predicted, Souta had just joined the girls for the walk home as they approached the school. Inuyasha got out of the car and approached them. As soon as Souta seen him, he got a big smile and waved.

"Hey kid, how was school?"

"Boring as usual, how did your day go?"

Inuyasha could see the excitement in the boy's eyes, he knew he wanted to know if Shippo was the same kitsune from the portrait, as he had asked before school. "I'll tell ya on the way home if you two want to ride with my friends and I." Both Souta and Kagome looked in the direction that Inuyasha had just walked from, and Shippo had the window down and waved to them. "Sure!" Souta shouted happily. Kagome told her friends that she would see them tomorrow, then the three of them walked to the black car an got in. As soon as they were in the car, Souta sitting in the front seat, the boy turned to the driver and asked, "So are you the same Shippo that helped defeat Naraku?" Shippo smiled, and rolled up his window. Before he pulled the lever that allowed the car to move, he leaned down and removed the charm from his ankle and placed it on the seat. Souta and Kagome could only stare in shock as the reddish hair and bright green eyes of the kitsune suddenly appeared. Inuyasha remembered his promise to the flea, and introduced them.

"Kagome, Souta, this is of course Shippo, and the flea is Myoga."

Still somewhat in shock, the two humans were further shocked when they heard the second name and heard a voice when at first no one else seemed to be in the car. Myoga was on Shippo's shoulder when he said "Pleased to meet you both." He jumped to Kagome's shoulder and it still took her awhile to focus on him. "It is an honor to meet you, Lady Kagome. I am pleased to tell you, since you are so eager to begin training, it will begin tomorrow after school. That is if you are sure you are ready."  
Souta had finally spotted the flea while he was talking and mumbled a quiet, "That is so cool."

"Oh, yes, I am ready. I want to help as much as possible. I can't help but think that if Naraku has reincarnated now, then that would be the only reason Kikyo would be reincarnated as well. If I truly am Kikyo's reincarnation, it is my duty to help in any way to defeat him.

"Lady Kagome, you are truly brave. I must warn you, though, that you will have to go directly to training from school and you will not return home until a little later than your normal bed time. You will, however, have the time it takes to travel back and forth to do your regular school homework. Is this acceptable?"

"Yeah, I guess it will have to be if it is the only way this is going to work."

"Very well, please let your mother know about your training, and assure her that you will be safe with us. Inuyasha will be training at the same time as well. He will train while you are at school, then he will be able to come and get you and return and train with you. There is something that you must both do together tomorrow before anything else is done, and you will be introduced to everyone. After tomorrow, it isn't going to be easy. If you should get overwhelmed, please don't hesitate to let one of us know."

Souta didn't like being left out of the conversation, and had been asking Shippo all sorts of questions about youkai and the fight with Naraku. When he had caught the end of the conversation between Myoga and Kagome, he turned to the back and asked: "What about me, do I get training, too?"

Myoga calmy replied, "Sorry, Souta, not at this time. We wouldn't want to leave your mother and grandfather with no time at all with either of you, so since Kagome is the oldest she needs her training first. Your's will come in time."

"Well, OK, but I do get some, right?"

"You sure do, kid." Shippo spoke up just as they pulled up to the shrine. "Remember, Inuyasha, meet me at the park again everyday that Kagome and Souta go to school. In the afternoon, you will get a break while we come and get Kagome and make sure Souta makes it home OK. Then it is back to the palace for training until that night when I bring you both home. See you guys tomorrow."

As they were exiting the car and Shippo was putting the charm on his ankle, Souta was excitedly talking to his sister. "You hear that, Kagome? I get to ride in the car with Shippo everyday after school, and I am going to get training, too. Wait until I tell Mama!"

"Just make sure you don't tell anyone else, kid. No friends at school, either." Inuyasha told him sternly. It didn't dampen his mood at all. He ran up the shrine steps not being able to contain his excitement. When Kagome and Inuyasha entered the house, Souta was already telling Mama all about the conversation that had occurred in the car.

"Kagome, are you sure you are going to be alright with this training and school? It sounds like I am hardly going to see you anymore." Mama looked worried, and Inuyasha could tell by her scent that she was more worried than she looked.

"Don't worry, she'll be in the safest possible place and Myoga said if it gets to be too much all she has to do is let someone know. I'll be there with her."

"Yeah, Mama, I'll be fine. This is something I feel I need to do. I don't want to be helpless like I was when that burglar came."

Mama's scent lost some of the worry. She told Kagome and Souta to get their homework done, and that she would let them know when to come down for dinner. Inuyasha waited until Souta and Kagome were out of the room, and gave Mama a small hug. "I won't let anything happen to her." Then he followed Kagome up to her room.


	19. Chapter 19

The door to Kagome's room was open when he reached it, but Inuyasha still knocked to let her know he was there before walking in. She was at her desk and had a book open in front of her, and a pen in her hand. "Oh, Inuyasha, come in. I am just trying to get some homework done."

"You know, it is going to be hard to get it all done while training. Get as much done as you can on the way there, I think you are going to be tired on the way back. You still don't have to rush into this, I can tell Sesshomaru-"

"Sesshomaru? Your, your _brother_ Sesshomaru?"

"Yeah, he wants to meet you tomorrow and said that you and I need to go together to get the sword that my father left for me. We can tell him then that training and school is going to be too much. Maybe we can get your training in when you are off from school-"

"Inuyasha, I told you, I need to do this. I want to get started with my training as soon as possible."

Inuyasha could start to feel a small charge in the air in Kagome's room. It was no where near the intensity it had when she was mad about the way he acted in front of her friends, but it was present. "Yeah, I guess we can see how it goes the first day, then we can talk about it. You need to learn how to control your spiritual energy..."

"Is there something wrong? You look worried, Inuyasha."

"No, like I said, you just need to learn how to control your power. When you get angry, especially."

"Umm, is there something happening now?"

"Not as bad as the last time, I just need to keep you from getting mad at me I guess."

"I'm sorry! I told you I need to train! I wonder why this has never happened before?"

Inuyasha thought of the theory about the jewel being part of Kagome, and wondered how much his skin would have tingled being around her during one of the "power spikes" that Shippo had mentioned. "Maybe it has, and humans just can't feel it. I seemed to be the only one affected when we were talking to your friends."

"Yeah, but you were also the cause of my anger."

"True, but it was radiating from you and surrounding you. I am sure I wasn't the only one in range."

"Oh. So, your brother is still alive? How did you two get along?"

"Well, I thought at first when I seen him that it was a trap. I thought he had me brought there just so he could finish me off. But it was different, _he_ was different. I don't know how to explain it. Before he wanted me dead, and tried to accomplish that goal on many occasions. Now it is almost like he cares and wants to help me. _Almost._ He was never one for showing emotion. The last 500 years has changed him somehow, but the previous 500 didn't. I wonder if it has anything to do with that human girl. You have to work on your homework, I shouldn't be here distracting you."

Inuyasha turned to leave the room, and was surprised when Kagome spoke up. "Are you sure you don't want to help me with my homework? I know you are way to smart to go to school, so you should be able to explain everything to me."

"Very funny, Kagome."

"You don't have to leave. Mama will call us when it is time to eat."

Inuyasha noticed that as soon as she had asked him to stay her cheeks got red, and her scent held a hint of sadness. Why would she not want him to leave? Did she not want him out of her sight as much as he didn't want to be away from her?

"I guess I can make sure that you concentrate on getting your work done, don't want you slacking off or daydreaming." He walked to the edge of her bed and sat down. Her cheeks still blushed, but the sadness in her scent faded. She quietly returned to her work, and Inuyasha had to give her credit for persistence. She was done about twenty minutes later.

"I'm not sure how much longer until dinner, does it smell like it's time to eat?"

Inuyasha took a sniff. Mostly he could just smell Kagome, her scent had permeated everything in the room. He hadn't noticed before how calming her scent was. He caught another scent, very faint. "Smells like we are having chicken for dinner, but I don't think it is done yet. I can't tell by the smell because about the only thing I can smell in this room is you, but it sounds like Mama is still in the middle of cooking."

"Do I need a shower? How bad do I smell?" Kagome looked horrified.

"No, it isn't a bad smell. It is just because this is your room and everything in it smells like you. If I was in Souta's room it would be the same with his smell, although he doesn't smell as good as you do." As he realized that last part had slipped out, he blushed a little. As he looked at Kagome quickly he noticed that she was blushing as well, and he looked away finding a good spot on the floor to stare at.

"Oh. Well, umm, what do you think it is going to be like tomorrow? What did you say we were doing?"

"Sesshomaru said that we have to get the sword Tetsusaiga from Father's grave. He said you had to come with me, but he didn't say why. I don't know where the grave is, but it shouldn't be too far if we can go get it after school and be back in time for you to go to bed. I wonder what I will be doing tomorrow until you get out of school."

"So, there is Sesshomaru, Shippo, and what was the flea's name again, Myoga? Did you meet anyone else?"

"I had seen a few people, and there was the 'pilot' in the 'chopper' who I was never introduced to. They mentioned that I would meet Kouga eventually. I smelled other youkai but didn't really meet anyone else."

"Kouga, too? He is the wolf youkai that helped defeat Naraku, isn't he?"

"I guess so. When I was reading one of the scrolls that Miroku wrote about the pursuit and defeat of Naraku and got to the part that mentioned Kouga, that is when Shippo said that I would meet him. He was on some kind of mission today and wasn't there. Sesshomaru had mentioned that there are other youkai, but not to trust anyone that I didn't meet at the palace."

"Palace? Is he still at the palace of the Lord of the Western Lands? I thought that was some kind of historical landmark now, like a museum."

"It could be, I didn't see much of it before we went underground."

"Underground? What do you mean, in the basement?"

"There were large caverns under the palace. Some were filled with boxes like your TV, but all different sizes. Some of those boxes showed the outside of the palace."

"You mean like a security system?"

"What's a 'security system'?"

"It is a way to keep watch over a place, with cameras and motion sensors and stuff. It is a way to keep a place secure from intruders."

"Yeah, I guess that is what it must have been."

Mama's voice drifted up to them, saying that it was time to eat. They sat with the rest of the family around the table, and Souta was still excited about his meeting with the kitsune and the flea. He talked about it all through dinner. When Grandpa asked why he felt the need to talk about it endlessly, his response was that because he was only allowed to talk about it with family he had to get it out of his system before going to school. After dinner, Souta was still wound up and asked Inuyasha to play video games with him. Inuyasha noticed that Kagome watched them play. After a few games, Inuyasha asked if she wanted to play as well. "Come on, Kagome. Let me kick your butt and get it over with."

"No thanks, Inuyasha. I am enjoying my break from getting my butt kicked."

She smiled at him, then at Souta, and went up to her room. After a few more games, Mama told Souta that it was time for him to get to bed and he whined while climbing the stairs that he wasn't tired enough to go to sleep yet. Mama looked at Inuyasha, a smile on her face. She walked towards him and toook the seat next to him on the couch.

"Inuyasha, you know where the ramen is. I know you usually get hungry around now. I am getting ready for bed myself, but I will bring your pillow and blanket. I..."

There was a smile on her face, like the one Kagome had while he and Souta were playing video games, but there were also tears glistening in her eyes. Inuyasha couldn't help but think that people in this era were way too emotional. Even Sesshomaru had seemed to find some emotion, something that Inuyasha had not thought possible. He couldn't ignore Mama's tears, and wondered just why they were there in the first place.

"What's wrong? I hate the smell of tears, are you feeling OK?"

"Yes, Inuyasha, I'm sorry. I just wanted to thank you for being here with Souta, but I realized that I thank you all the time for everything you do and didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I know you are not good with emotions, but it is so good for Souta to be able to look up to you. He doesn't even remember his father, he was so young when we lost him. Grandpa was never really a commanding presence in Souta's life. I am not sure if he sees you as a father figure or a big brother, but I haven't seen him look up to anyone like he looks up to you. It seems everyday I find a new reason to be thankful that you are here."

"Well, we'll see if that changes when Kagome starts her training and you barely get to see her. You might change your mind then. Although I have told her that she shouldn't rush into this, it is still kind of my fault that she is going. If I wasn't here, and didn't ask about her training, she wouldn't be going."

"Oh, Inuyasha, her getting training is going to be a good thing. Don't feel like it is your fault. I need to get used to the idea of her going away, she isn't going to be my little girl forever. Even of she wasn't going to this training now, she would be going off to college after high school. I would barely see her then. After college, who knows where she would be. She might meet someone to marry and move away. It is just something that a parent has to deal with eventually."

He wasn't sure if Mama noticed, but when she had suggested that Kagome could meet someone and get married, Inuyasha felt a tightening in his chest and a feeling of disappointment that he couldn't explain. She quickly changed the subject, though he wasn't sure if it was for her sake or his.

"So what about weekends? Will the two of you be training on the days Kagome doesn't have school as well?"

"I guess we will find out all the details tomorrow. I am still hoping that she will decide that training and school is going to be too hard on her and put her training off. I don't see why she wants to put her self in danger so quickly, she should just let me protect her."

"Maybe she doesn't want to feel helpless, it is hard to stand by unable to do anything when someone you love is getting hurt."

Inuyasha realized that he had no idea what had happened to Mama's husband, just that he was dead. He was going to ask, then decided that it was painful for him to talk about the past and it would probably be painful for Mama as well. Mama's words reminded him of his own past as well.

"Yeah, I know how that feels. I was just a kid when my mother died, and I was too weak to help her. I guess I can see why she would want to train, but if I see it getting too hard for her she is just going to have to take it slower. She has a lot of spiritual power, and the first thing she needs to learn is how to keep it under control when she is angry. She can hold off on how to use it in a fight until she has more time away from school to train."

Mama looked puzzled for a second, and Inuyasha thought that his theory must be right. Humans must not be able to feel the spiritual energy, and Mama had no idea why he would say that she needed to control it while angry. He found it hard to believe that Kagome had never gotten angry enough all through her childhood that her spiritual power had never charged the air like he had witnessed twice in only the last few days.

"Have you ever noticed anything when Kagome is upset? I made her mad the other day while talking to her friends after school and I could feel the spiritual energy in the air around her. I seemed to be the only one though, so I think only youkai can feel it and not humans."

Mama thought for a moment, and then something must have come to mind. "Now that I think about it, there was a strange feeling around her once." It seemed to Inuyasha that it was a painful memory for Mama, and she didn't really want to talk about it. But he said nothing to dissuade her from reciting the memory because it may help them to understand Kagome's power and how she could control it. Mama continued after a short pause.

"It was when she was very young, it was the day her father died. I was very upset, so I ignored it. I had forgotten all about it until you mentioned a feeling in the air. It was like a static charge, like electricity tingling my skin. Like I said, I was upset and ignored it and don't recall how long it lasted, but the other thing I remember was a pink glow around her. That I also ignored. It was a stressful and very emotional time, and I just assumed that the feeling and the glow were somehow just in my mind. I wouldn't have thought about it being spiritual power. That comes from her father's side of the family, so I have never experienced it. I remember when it occurred, though."

Inuyasha could again smell the salt of unshed tears. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She had her hands folded together and all he could think of to do was to place a hand over hers to show his support. She took a few more deep breaths, then with her eyes still closed, slowly began talking.

"It wasn't quite a year after Souta was born, Kagome was the age Souta is now. My husband had called before he left work, he wanted me to bring the kids and meet him at the park. The kids and I had just gotten to the park when Kagome looked up and saw the train coming. She knew from previous days like this that her father would be on the train, and she couldn't wait to see him. The train stopped and he got off, and waved at us before stopping to wait to cross the street. There were three others waiting to cross the street as well, including a pregnant woman and her ten-year-old son. They all looked to make sure it was safe, and when it was they started to cross. With a few steps left to go, the little boy had a seizure, and his mother panicked. She just froze, and couldn't take another step. There was suddenly a horn sounding, and a car speeding toward them out of nowhere. My husband had made it across the street with the other's and had no idea what was going on until he had heard the horn. He ran back and grabbed the boy and the mother's arm, but he had no time to run. He just swung them out of the way, which was all the had time to do. He was still alive when we made it to the hospital, but there was nothing they could do except try to relieve some of the pain. His injuries were too severe, and he was gone two hours later. I had called Grandpa as soon as I could, although I didn't want to leave my husband's side for a single second. Kagome wouldn't, and while I was calling Grandpa one of the nurses sat with her at the edge of her father's bed. She was still clinging to him when he passed on, and as soon as his hold loosened on her, she looked up at his face and seemed to just know that he was gone. That is when I felt the difference in the air, and when we were trying to get her to let him go I had felt the tingle and seen the glow. The tingle I thought was just my nerves, and the glow I ignored because of the tears in my eyes. I thought it must have just been a trick of the light."

Inuyasha was speechless. How could this family have endured such a tragedy and still be as cheerful as they were? He guessed that Kagome lost her father about the same age he was when he had lost his mother. She seemed to have dealt with the loss much better than he did. Mama was sobbing quietly, and Inuyasha put an arm around her shoulder. She leaned her cheek against his chest, and sobbed for a few minutes more. Her sobs slowly faded from existence and she raised her head and wiped her eyes. Just as she was about to speak, the phone rang. She stood and answered the phone. The conversation was very short and left her looking very confused.

"Shippo just wanted to remind you, make sure you bring the fire rat robe with you tomorrow. You are going to need it for training."

"Makes sense, the robe of the fire rat is better than most armor. I just gotta figure out how to carry it, I think wearing it is going to attract attention."

"I am sure we have a backpack or a duffel bag around somewhere that you can use. I know Kagome has an old yellow one somewhere that would fit your robe and a change of clothes for her as well. She might not want to go to train while in her school uniform. I will look for it in the morning, OK dear?"

"Sure, thanks."

Mama gave him one last sad smile, and after bringing the pillow and blanket said goodnight. Inuyasha laid awake for a long time, thinking about what little he had heard when Kagome's father died. That was when she started talking to Inuyasha, but he didn't really know how long she had talked about her father. She talked about her father exclusively at first, but slowly started talking about other things until she didn't mention her father except on rare occasions, like her birthdays. That is when she seemed to miss him the most, times when families were the closest. He tried to remember everything she had said about her father, and the one thing he realized was neither Kagome nor anyone else had mentioned the slightest hint as to how he had died. He could tell by the way everyone had talked about him that he had been very brave, but no one had mentioned that he had sacrificed himself to save three other lives. It hardly seemed fair, though, that he would save three lives just to have three more mourn him, four counting Grandpa. And there were many sad voices at his memorial service at the shrine, he seemed like a well-liked person. Inuyasha could see that Kagome had inherited his bravery, and understood a little better why she was so eager to help defeat the new Naraku. He wondered if the mother had talked to Mama or the rest of the family, and if the baby was alright after the mother was swung out of the way. Inuyasha had assumed that all three had survived, but did they? He had made up his mind that he would not bring it up, this family had suffered enough and he was not going to bring up painful subjects. This decision did nothing to help him sleep, however, his mind just would not stop thinking enough to let him relax.


	20. Chapter 20

At some point, he had gotten tired enough to doze lightly. He awoke when he heard the now familiar sound of an alarm clock, and got up from the couch. He followed his recently adopted routine, and took a walk outside before coming in to greet Mama and Grandpa in the kitchen. She didn't reflect any of the sadness she had been showing the night before, and was cheerfully making breakfast. "Did you sleep alright, dear? You look tired."

"Keh, I'm fine."

"I found the yellow backpack, I put your fire rat robe and a change of clothes for both you and Kagome in it. Are you going to be late coming home tonight?"

"I'm not sure, I don't think Kagome is starting her training today. I think we can probably come home as soon as we get my Father's sword, but I don't know where the sword is. Kagome will probably get introduced to everyone today."

"Is there anyone you remember, dear? If Shippo called here last night, and he is the same Shippo from the history books, have you met anyone you knew before being sealed to the tree?"

"Yeah, I talked to the flea youkai, Myoga, yesterday. He was a good friend of my father's. He kinda tried to keep on eye on me when I was a kid, but when things got tough he would always run away. Of course, my b*stard brother is still around. It seems like he is the one in charge of this place. I am not sure what the 'place' is, exactly, but they mentioned that the wolf youkai, Kouga, was on some kind of mission."

"Strange how we all thought that youkai were just legends and myths. I was always confused about why they would list them as such in the history books, but yet they were in the _history_ books. They weren't just tales and literature. It is somewhat exciting, like finding out that your favorite fairy tales are real."

Mama had a dreamy, far away look on her face while she finished making breakfast. It wasn't too much longer before first Kagome, then Souta came down and sat at the table. Souta was still rambling on about all the stuff he had heard and experienced yesterday, and Mama reminded him again that he would not be able to tell anyone outside the shrine about it. Grandpa sat quietly, Inuyasha wondered if it was because he felt that his stories weren't worthy of telling anymore. He was sure that Grandpa would eventually return to his history-telling, wise, old self. When it was time to leave for school, Mama hugged Kagome and told her to be careful. "I will see you when you get home, dear."

Kagome hugged her mother in return and told her not to worry. "Inuyasha will be with me the whole time, he won't let anything happen to me. I will see you tonight."  
Inuyasha made sure the hat was covering his ears before he, Kagome, and Souta left the house. They were a few blocks away from school when he caught the scent of Hojo. Shortly after, Hojo had looked up and seen them walking and waved. "Hey, Higurashi!"

Kagome didn't look all that happy to see him, but as cheerful as she could she returned his greeting. "Hey, Hojo. We usually don't see you on the way to school. Don't you come from the other direction?"

"Yeah, but I had gotten up early this morning and decided to take something to my aunt for her arthritis. She lives just down this road. Which reminds me, how is your grandfather's arthritis? I can bring you some as well so you can give it to him. It is tea, and while it doesn't smell very good my aunt says that it works wonders. I can even bring it to your house after school."

"Umm, that's nice of you, Hojo, but Inuyasha and I have things we have to get done after school. You can stop by and give it to Grandpa, though, he likes it when you visit."

"Well, sure, I guess. Unless you would like me to wait until this weekend, I can bring it then while you are home."

Inuyasha couldn't believe the persistence of this guy. "Actually, Kagome and I have a lot to do and I am afraid that this weekend is going to find us away from the shrine as well."

"Oh, well, we can work something out."

Hojo continued to walk with them to the school, Souta said goodbye and went on to his own class. Hojo still stood beside Kagome, who was now between him and Inuyasha. Inuyasha could tell that she was very annoyed by Hojo's presence and didn't want to be in this position. "I will be here as soon as you get out of school. OK, Kagome?"

"Yeah, see you then Inuyasha."

Kagome's face got a little red before she quickly leaned towards him and, standing on her toes, kissed Inuyasha on the cheek. It was the same peck that he had given her a few days earlier in an attempt to embarrass her in front of her other friends. Inuyasha also noticed that she made sure Hojo was looking when she did it. _'She wants him to get the hint and leave her alone'_, he thought. As soon as the quick peck was over, she turned quickly and headed to the school. Hojo just stood and blinked a few times, then said goodbye to Inuyasha before he slowly turned and headed to the school himself. Inuyasha felt bad for the guy, he looked heartbroken. He continued on to the park where Shippo was waiting for him, unable to stop thinking about the feel of Kagome's lips on his cheek. _'Well, if she is the reincarnation of Kikyo, it makes sense that I would want to be near her... Doesn't it?'_

Once inside Shippo's car, he tried to think only of the training he was heading for. "So, what am I doing today? I have my fire rat robe, and Mama packed both Kagome and I a change of clothes. I know after Kagome gets out of school we have to go get that sword, but what am I going to be doing until then?"

"Sparring, we have to see what you can do without the sword against other youkai. But we also have to see what you can do around humans and not draw attention to yourself. We have to be very careful that humans don't find out who or what we really are. I think that you were going to get one of these charms to make you look human, but there have been too many people who have seen you as you are. I think we are still going to give you one so you can blend in on missions, but you won't need to wear it on a day-to-day basis like the rest of us. Unless you want to, that is. You do seem to attract a lot of attention from the ladies..."

"I wouldn't mind wearing one just to keep people from staring, but how would I explain my change of looks when I walk Kagome to school? I think as long as it does no harm I will just go without it until necessary. Do they alter the senses at all? Would I hear, see and smell as though I was a weak human?"

"Don't worry, these charms don't change us. They just change the way we look. You would look like you do on the new moon, but you would still have all of your youkai senses and abilities."

Inuyasha was speechless. He hadn't even told Kagome about turning human on the night of the new moon, how did Shippo know about it? More importantly, who else knew about it? He couldn't hide the panic in his voice. "How did you know about the new moon?"

"The knowledge has been passed on, don't worry. Your secret is safe with us. The only ones that actually know about it are Myoga, Sesshomaru, and myself. No one else is aware of it, and it is your choice who you trust enough to tell."

"But who would have known about it to pass it on? I kept it hidden from everyone."

"It isn't important. Like I said, don't worry about it. If you decide that you want one of these charms for daily use, we can get you one and come up with a reason for your change in appearance to the humans that have seen you. Most humans will believe just about anything, it shouldn't be too hard. We are almost at the chopper."

Two blocks later, Shippo stopped the car and they both got out. Inuyasha was no more at ease about the large, metal insect than he had been the day before. Again the noise of the rotating blades hindered a conversation, even though this time he was given a metal hat that drowned out some of the noise. He could occasionally hear voices inside the hat, and he noticed that Shippo was talking to the "pilot" when he heard them. As he listened more, he noticed that one voice was indeed Shippo's, but it was altered and distorted somehow as it made it's way to Inuyasha's ears. They landed in the same place as they had before, and he made sure to grab the yellow backpack as Shippo led him directly to the "elevator".

Once they were back in the cavern, Inuyasha seen and smelled that there were many more people than there were the day before. He was surprised to see that even though they were not allowed to let any humans know of their existence, a majority of the people that were present in the cavern were human. "These humans know what we are?"

Shippo smiled before answering, "Yeah, they are some of the rare humans who are not bothered by our existence. There were humans that played a big part in the defeat of Naraku 500 years ago, these are the descendants of those humans. They are as trustworthy as your miko and her family."

"Why does everyone call her _MY_ miko? Am I missing something?"

Before Shippo had the chance to answer, Myoga jumped up to Inuyasha's shoulder and helped himself to a drink. Inuyasha slapped the flea instinctively, and Myoga apologized. "I'm sorry, Lord Inuyasha, your blood is just so tasty. Did you bring your fire rat robe?"

"Yeah, I got it in the backpack."

"Better put it on, we have a couple of sparring partners for you. We will see what we can get done before Lady Kagome is ready to assist you in tonight's mission."

Inuyasha put on the fire rat robe, and left the yellow backpack on an empty chair. Shippo requested that he follow him to the arena, where he would be sparring with various partners who each used a specific type of weapon. Myoga rejoined them and asked if Inuyasha was ready.

"You were pinned to the sacred tree for so long, we want to give you a chance to hone your skills before sending you on any missions. Once you and Lady Kagome retrieve Lord InuTaisho's fang, you will get training on how to use the sword, but for now we want to see what you can accomplish without it as it will take some time to master the Tetsusaiga. Your first sparring partner will be Shippo, his attacks will be kitsune magic."

"You think just because I was pinned to the tree I've gotten rusty? I handled that guy that attacked Kagome's family, didn't I?

"Lord Inuyasha, please forgive me. I meant no insult. While you handled that human adequately, the evil that still threatens is made up of many youkai and hanyou in addition to a few humans. It is better for us to see who to pair you with on missions, therefore we need to evaluate your fighting skills to match you with the best partner."

"Feh, whatever."

Shippo, who Inuyasha hadn't noticed leave the arena, entered at that moment wearing a suit better suited to battle than his normal human clothes. He asked Inuyasha if he was ready to begin sparring, and when Inuyasha replied with a nod of his head Myoga and any other beings in the area quickly got out of the way. Both crouched slightly in a battle stance, and as Inuyasha was ready to strike with his claws, he was suddenly surrounded by screaming mushrooms.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Sorry it has been so long, I am not sure when the next update will come out. As long as I can get a connection to the internet, I will try my best to get new chapters out.**

"Are you going to get this thing off me? I am not going to lay here all day!"

"This you must figure out for yourself, brother. You might encounter this type of attack on a mission and will have to get yourself out of it."

"How can I get out of it? I can't move!"

Sesshomaru might have been smirking, Inuyasha couldn't see his face well enough to be sure. The large stone statue was on Inuyasha's right hand, and everything he had tried for the last hour didn't move it one bit. He couldn't get it to tip over, couldn't lift it, couldn't slide his hand out from under it. He might as well have been still pinned to the Sacred Tree. He knew that Sesshomaru could at least give him some helpful advice, but instead he just stood there watching an embarrassed Inuyasha. And he seemed to be enjoying himself doing so. B*stard.

"I know you can at least give me some advice on how to get this thing off of me, but you are enjoying watching this too much, aren't you?"

"This Sesshomaru is merely trying to see how resourceful you are, brother."

Yep, he was definitely smirking. He had tried everything he could on the statue, Iron Reaver Soul Stealer, Blades of Blood, pushing with his shoulder, cursing under his breath, cursing out loud. Nothing had any effect. He had even tried digging around the statue to dig his hand out. It wasn't easy, under the mat the floor was "concrete"- some kind of man-made stone. Inuyasha was getting ready to start cursing again, when a woman's voice filled the arena.

"Kitsune magic is based on trickery and illusion, if you believe that you are stuck - you are stuck."

Inuyasha caught her scent and noticed that it was heavy with Sesshomaru's. That could only mean...

"You are too easy on him, my love. He needs to figure out these things on his own. Inuyasha, get out from under that statue quickly, time is growing short. Before I will allow you to get your miko, you must endure one more sparring partner for today."

Inuyasha didn't want to miss getting Kagome from school, so he thought hard about what the female youkai said. He thought about how that statue grew from a small, carved pebble into the larger (and much heavier) statue that was currently holding him down. He started to think about how there was no way the statue actually grew that big, it must have just looked bigger. Maybe it had risen like dough, and was now full of air bubbles. It took him another half hour or so, but eventually he was able to get the statue off of his hand. It was as light as a pebble and soon returned to its original size.

"I am impressed, brother, I know that you have a hard time thinking before you act. But while you are unable to act, it seems you are at least capable of thought. You will spar with my mate, then you may go to your miko. Kagura, you may begin when you are prepared."

_'Kagura? Wasn't that one of Naraku's allies?'_

"DANCE OF BLADES!"

Before another thought could come to mind, he had to duck quickly to avoid the blades that were hurled at him. They seemed to be made of wind, but he could tell they were as lethal as steel. With Shippo's kitsune tricks, there really wasn't much need for the armor of the fire rat robe. When faced with Kagura's fan, Inuyasha was thankful that he was wearing it. He never thought that wind could be that deadly. He had lived through many storms where the wind was the most destructive force, but with the concentration and precision of Kagura's attacks the wind was made into a very serious weapon. She was very fast, and he was only able to barely scratch her with one claw for the whole hour that they were sparring. Of course, as soon as he smelled her blood (as faint as it was) he was continuously looking to Sesshomaru, expecting some reaction from him after hurting his mate. _'His mate... Hmm, I never thought I would see the day that cold-hearted b*stard would take a mate. Something must have happened to melt the ice around his heart, he was much colder than I was before I met Kikyo...' _For about five minutes, Sesshomaru took Inuyasha's place in the arena to show him some tactics, but Inuyasha thought that he was sick of watching and just wanted some action. Inuyasha couldn't believe how ruthless Sesshomaru was with his own mate, and when he resumed his turn in the arena, he mentioned it to Kagura. She just smirked, it was Sesshomaru that answered.

"She is my mate, brother, I am well aware of her capabilities. If she was not able to handle herself well in the arena, she would not be my mate."

_'So, maybe the ice hasn't melted after all. I wonder if she beat him in the arena, and that is why she is his mate...'_

Shippo ended the sparring match when he entered the arena and said it was time to get Kagome. Inuyasha looked to Sesshomaru to make sure that he was going to let him leave. His performance must have been acceptable, Sesshomaru gave him a nod and left the arena. Kagura came up to Inuyasha and told him that he put up a good fight, and she was "looking forward to our next meeting in the arena". He changed back into his "street clothes" and followed Shippo back to the chopper. They got to the school just as Kagome was coming out with her friends. The first thing that Inuyasha noticed was that Hojo was walking with them as well. Kagome's friends seemed, at least, to be trying to keep Hojo out of the conversation this time, and it was Ayame that noticed Inuyasha first.

"Hey, Inuyasha! I think it is very sweet of you to pick up Kagome after school."

Hojo looked up quickly and put some space between himself and Kagome. He gave a small wave and a mumbled greeting to Inuyasha, who walked right up to Kagome and put his arm around her shoulder possessively. Kagome turned very red but didn't pull away.

"So, Kagome, how was school today?"

"It was fine, Inuyasha, do we have time to take Souta home or are we leaving right away? See you tomorrow, girls!"

Kagome seemed to want to get out of the area as soon as possible, and before Inuyasha or the others could say anything she put her hand in Inuyasha's and lead him in the direction he came from. They only took a few steps before Souta ran up to them.

"Are you trying to embarrass each other, or is there something you're not telling me?"

Kagome and Inuyasha each let go of the other's hand and tried to explain.

"I noticed that Hojo keeps bothering Kagome, and I wanted to give him a reason to back off, that's all."

"I knew that was what he was doing, so I went along. Then I was just trying to get away from everyone quickly because I know that we have to get Inuyasha's sword."

"OK, so am I walking home by myself or what?"

"I think we have the time to give you a ride, kid, get in the car."

They all turned around when they heard Shippo's voice and followed him back to the car. They dropped Souta off at the bottom of the shrine steps, and drove on to the chopper. Shippo had asked Kagome if she wanted to at least see her mother quick before they went, but she said she wasn't sure how long it would take to get the sword and they shouldn't waste time. Kagome looked almost as nervous as Inuyasha had at the sight of the chopper. She said that she had never traveled by air before. Inuyasha felt his cheeks heat up a little when she scooted closer to him and grabbed his arm as the chopper left the ground, but he understood perfectly how she felt. This was not his first chopper ride, but it still made him a little nervous every time it left the ground or started to get closer to it so it could land. During the flight, Shippo tried to fill them in on what they would be doing once they reached the palace.

"I am not sure how long it will take to get your father's fang, but Sesshomaru is planning on leaving as soon as introductions are made for Kagome. It will only be the three of you that are going, because the sword rests at your father's grave. Neither of you will train tonight, but your training will resume tomorrow and Kagome, I am certain that your training will start tomorrow."

"Oh, that's great! I am so happy that I am going to be able to help, and I want to be as prepared as possible. I can't wait to see what I am going to learn!"

The smile on Kagome's face was huge, she seemed really happy and ready to face whatever challenges she may meet head-on.

_ 'Liar, I can smell your fear and anxiety. I wish you would put off your training until you know for sure that you're ready. If only you weren't so stubborn, Kagome.'_

Inuyasha was about to express his concern for Kagome when she gasped loudly, but before he could ask her what was wrong she spoke.

"Is that the palace? It's beautiful! And huge, how many rooms are in there? Shippo, do you and the others actually live there? Look at the garden! I have never seen a more beautiful garden! There has to be at least one of every type of plant in there!"

"I am sure we can arrange a tour of the grounds for you, Kagome, if you would like one when we have the time. I would say tonight, but it is something that you would want to do when the sun is up and I'm not sure you're going to be back in time."

"That would be great, Shippo! Whenever we can get the time, though, I know training is very important."

The few remaining moments of the flight, Kagome simply stared out the window in awe at the palace. It wasn't until they were climbing out of the chopper that she finally closed her mouth and regained her senses. That state didn't last long, however, for she was staring slack-jawed once again when Sesshomaru met them. Inuyasha had to poke Kagome to get her attention from Sesshomaru, she showed no sign that she had even heard Shippo introduce her to Sesshomaru, then Sesshomaru to her. Myoga was on her shoulder as she came out of her trance, and began explaining the history of the palace. Sesshomaru interrupted and said that they must not waste time. As they walked into the palace, Kagome kept whispering to Inuyasha.

"So he's your brother, right?"

"Half brother, Kagome, you know the story."

"How old is he?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself, I'm not his keeper."

"Do all the men in your family look so..."

"So _what_, Kagome? Are you saying there's something wrong with the way we look?"

"Oh, no! Of course not! I have just never seen men like you or your brother before! You both look so, um, exotic? Does that sound like the right word?"

"Exotic sounds right for the one, but I wouldn't push it for the mutt." The female voice came from a doorway, Inuyasha recognized it as Kagura. He growled slightly at her, but didn't want to piss Sesshomaru off. She introduced herself to Kagome.

"You must be Inuyasha's Priestess Kagome. Pleased to finally meet you. You and I are going to have to have _the talk_, I suppose. There are some things that you will need to hear from me, things that your mother won't know to explain to you."

Kagome didn't quite seem to understand what Kagura was talking about at first, until Inuyasha shouted "Why does everyone keep calling her MY priestess?" and got the response from Kagura, who had never been known to not speak bluntly, "Was it not her preincarnation that you would have taken as a mate, had history not worked out differently? It is somewhat safe to assume that your souls are still connected, and will try to succeed this time around."


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N: Sorry I have been gone for a while. I have no regular internet access, and not a lot of time to write anymore. I have every intention of finishing this story, it just isn't coming to me as well as it once was. Once life settles down a bit and I have time to daydream about stuff that isn't stressful, I'm sure it would come along a lot faster.**_

"Not if I have anything to say about it, Beautiful. I'll make sure you aren't tainted by that half-breed." An unfamiliar, masculine voice came from the doorway that Kagura had come through seconds before. Inuyasha barely had time to register the arrogance in the voice and the embarrassed scent from Kagome before he let out a warning growl at the sight of a male demon, wolf by the scent, holding Kagome's hands. "I'm Kouga, Babe, and if you need anything, anything at all, you come see me. I'll take care of you better than that mutt ever could."

"Who the hell are you? And why are you all over Kagome? Who do you think you are, calling me a mutt, fleabag?" The scent coming from Kagome was nervousness and still embarrassment. The red in her cheeks was starting to go down some, but whether it was all from Kouga's appearance or still from Kagura's statement Inuyasha couldn't tell. The thing that pleased him, however, was the slight bit of anger that appeared in her scent at Kouga's name-calling. It was at this time, when Inuyasha and Kouga got into a stand-off position, that Kagome spoke up about the situation.

"Kouga, pleased to meet you, but Inuyasha is a very close friend to me, so please be nice to him. Inuyasha, you can stop with the name calling as well, we all need to get along and we have a lot to accomplish. Now, if no one minds, I would like to find out what we are doing until I go home tonight." With that, she resumed following Sesshomaru through the endless palace. He had stopped a little ahead of the others when Kagura came in, and waited with no expression or interference through the scene with Kouga, but had the slightest of smirks when Kagome brought up the importance of priorities. With one last growl between Kouga and Inuyasha, Inuyasha caught up with Kagome and Sesshomaru and they continued to the large room he was in when he first came to the palace to read the scrolls, the one with all the monitors. This is where Sesshomaru stopped, and turned to Kagome.

"These scrolls contain the history of the Shikon Jewel, and there is some useful information in them. I would like you to go through them, but try not to take as long as Inuyasha did. He can go through them with you, if you like, and help to fill in the blanks if you want to skim over them for now and read them thoroughly at a later time. When you are satisfied with the scrolls, let Myoga or Jaken know and he will summon me. We will then see if we can retrieve Inuyasha's sword before it gets too late so you can get home at a decent hour to prepare for school tomorrow." With that, Sesshomaru left the room. Kagome went right to the scrolls and started to read, Inuyasha reading over her shoulder and bringing things to her attention. After the third scroll, she turned to Inuyasha.

"They sure left out a lot in the history books, huh?"

"Yeah, there is more to the story than what you used to read to me while I was sealed to the tree. Naraku was a terrible... I guess you could call him a person, he was one at one time. Please don't think that all half-demons are like him. I have seen some full demons that he could have put to shame with his cruelty. It's a shame I wasn't around to kick his ass!" Inuyasha glanced at Kagome and noticed her cheeks were just the slightest bit colored, and she had a strange look on her face. "What's wrong with you?"

"Do you really remember all the times I talked to you under the tree? I talked to you about, well, everything. I knew somehow that you where there, but I didn't know you could hear my every word."

"Like I said, that is about all I can remember from the time I was sealed. Before you were born I was not aware of anything for 500 years, it was all like a blink of an eye. Kikyo sealed me to the tree, then your parents brought you home from your 'hospital' for the first time. Then you grew up really fast, it was only when you were in a certain range of the tree that I was aware of anything. Then after you lost your father, and started spending so much time with me, I started to actually feel alive again, like I mattered at all."

"Thanks for being there, Inuyasha." She stepped a little closer to him and gave him a quick hug, when she stepped back and resumed her reading of the scrolls her cheeks were just a little more red.

"No problem, I said I would be here for ya, didn't I?" Inuyasha mumbled, then went back to reading over her shoulder, pointing out what he thought were important parts. Thanks to Kagome's finely tuned studying skills, they were through the scrolls in record time. Myoga and Jaken had been coming in and out of the room often, and it was Jaken who was on his way through when they finished. They told him that they were done with the scrolls for now and they were ready to go with Sesshomaru. Shortly after Jaken left the room, Sesshomaru walked in. He was no longer wearing his modern clothes, but clothing and armor from the feudal era. These were the clothes that Inuyasha remembered from before he was sealed to the tree.

"Inuyasha, it would be wise for you to wear your fire rat robe. We are going to a hostile place. Kagome, you will need to stay at Inuyasha's side while we are at Father's grave."

"Wait a minute, why do we wear protective clothing and she gets none? I know you have to have armor, even modern armor, here somewhere. She can't go with us unprotected!" Inuyasha was furious, even though Sesshomaru trusts Kagura to be able to take care of herself, he should know that Kagome has no training. She can't even control her miko powers, she surely can't be expected to just be OK in any situation she is tossed in! Was he insane?

"That is why she needs to stay at your side, she will be your responsibility on this mission. As she trains, she will become responsible for her own well-being. Now hurry, we only have limited time."

Kagome placed her hand on Inuyasha's shoulder reassuringly. "I know you will protect me, Inuyasha, I will be fine. You will be able to protect me much more after you have your father's sword. Let's get this over with, I have school tomorrow."

"Keh, I can protect you just fine, I don't need any old sword to do it. Let me get my robe, then let's get this nonsense over with."


End file.
